


Love Prescribed

by SpaceAqueerious



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: AMAB Valdemar (The Arcana), Adventure, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Female Apprentice (The Arcana), Getting to Know Each Other, Light Angst, Named Apprentice (The Arcana), Nonbinary Character, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Canon, Spoilers, Swearing isn't every other word but it's in there, Unrequited love that's not the endgame pairing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-09 10:13:51
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 56,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27469309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceAqueerious/pseuds/SpaceAqueerious
Summary: A year after foiling a world-ending plot, Gemini is happy as the Vesuvian Court Magician but also nursing a broken heart. She is all too glad for the distraction when she is recruited on a hunt for a missing Prakran magician; the only catch? Her investigation partner is Quaestor Valdemar, who is neither friend nor foe (for now at least). Along the way, she is presented with a choice: allow herself to fall again, or avoid the risk of heartbreak? And what about this mysterious magician, who may not want to be found?
Relationships: Apprentice/Valdemar (The Arcana)
Comments: 49
Kudos: 63





	1. Chapter 1

The Vesuvian sunset was coming to an end, giving way to a twinkling night sky and setting the stage for the evening’s festivities. Eager party-goers filed into the palace as Natiqa looked on from the balcony. Gemini sighed and sank onto the chaise lounge, reaching for the bubbly drink next to her on the end table. She was not looking forward to the ball one bit.

Natiqa turned and fixed her with a look, a playful smirk on her lips. “Now, Gemini,” she began. “How can you sigh like that when you look this good?” She gestured to the form-fitting dress draped over Gemini’s form. “That thing looks like it’s been poured onto you. Damn, you look hot!”

Gemini smiled despite herself. “Thanks, Tink.” Natiqa snickered; a palace servant had misheard Gemini pronounce “Tiq” as “Tink” once, and the nickname stuck as an inside joke that never failed to bring a grin to “Tink’s” face. Raising her thigh caused the garment to shift slightly, showing off the high slit. She remembered how Nadia had asked her what her favorite color was a couple of weeks prior, and what style of clothing she typically liked. The reason behind the inquiry became apparent when Portia delivered a beautiful (and expensive) new dress to the shop earlier this week. With a big smile on her face, she’d proudly told Gemini that she was invited to stay at the palace the night of the Lovers’ Day ball and that she could come early to get ready if she liked. Natiqa was wandering the halls, bored and already dressed when Gemini arrived, and she happily offered her assistance getting ready. “Nadi really did a great job finding something that suits my tastes, I’ll have to thank her later.”

Natiqa hummed her agreement. With one last look outside, she moved to stand behind Gemini and started playing with her hair. “What are we doing with this? Your hair is getting so long!” In response to the light touch on her scalp, Gemini’s eyes fluttered shut. “I remember you were rocking a badass bob when we first met.”

“Ugh, that was over a year ago,” Gemini grimaced. Opening her eyes, she frowned down at her shoulder-length hair. “My hair takes forever to grow.” She pinched a piece between her fingers before letting it fall away with disdain.

“Should we do a low pony? I love a low pony.” Natiqa tugged her hair back and looked into the mirror on the opposite wall expectantly. “It will complement the… mature look your outfit is giving.” Gemini just nodded, causing Natiqa to click her tongue. Looking around the room, she spotted a pair of fashionable heels by the door and let out a tiny squeal. “Are those the shoes you’re wearing?”

“Mm.” Gemini sipped at her drink.

“You’re going all out with the visuals tonight, huh? Sheesh!” Normally, she would have been preening at the way Natiqa hyped her up, but she wasn’t in the mood. There was a pit in her stomach all day, and she wished she could just go home, swipe Asra’s expensive wine, and end the night crawling into their bed in a drunken haze. Alas, she was an honored friend of the Vesuvian palace ever since last year’s events with Lucio and the Devil, and her absence would be noticed at Nadia’s extravagant events.

Natiqa exhaled slowly, and Gemini felt bad for bringing down the vibe. She slid into the seat across from Gemini and sat cross-legged, leveling her with a stare that the latter knew was coming. “Okay, what is wrong with you? Spill.”

Gemini knocked back the rest of her drink, frowning when it went down the wrong way and choking back a cough. “It’s Lovers’ Day.”

Natiqa quirked an eyebrow. “Uh-huh,” came her reply, tone encouraging her to continue.

“It’s Lovers’ Day, there’s a ball tonight, I look goddamn hot, and I have no date.” Although she omitted the final reason she felt down, she was certain Natiqa picked up on the unspoken words.

“Yes you do,” she smirked, shrugging. “I’m your date.”

“Tink…”

“I mean it! I promise I will be your guardian angel. I won’t leave your side nor let a single piece of that pretty little heart break tonight.”

Gemini chuckled. “Sure, until some Morenian noble comes over to talk politics with you.” As much as she wished Natiqa’s words were true, the duties of an ambassador never ended.

Said ambassador waved her hand dismissively. “I can curve them,” she retorted. “Diplomatically, of course.” At that, both women burst out laughing, a mischievous look sprouting on Natiqa’s face after they calmed down. “Right, let’s play a game.”

Gemini played along with the change in subject. “I’m down. What is it?”

Natiqa grinned wickedly. “FMK.” She cracked up at the look she received in response. “Come on, it’ll be fun, I promise!”

_Fun, she says_. All thoughts of sneaking around the palace and causing mischief, as was usual for them, vanished. Gemini was skeptical of how a romantically-inclined game was supposed to help when romance was the source of her sour mood. “Can’t we go pull a prank on Vlastomil?” she pleaded. “Or even better, Valerius?” Seeing him perturbed would make her feel immensely better.

Natiqa simply replied, “Procurator Volta, Praetor Vlastomil, and Consul Valerius.”

Gemini sat back and groaned in protest, pretending to consider her options as she stared up at the high ceilings of her guest room. “Fuck Valerius—” Natiqa’s playful exclamations interrupted before she could continue.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Natiqa raised her hands, mirth dancing in her eyes. “Is this…?”

Gemini gave her a flat expression. “No,” she returned. “Given the _options_ I have,” Natiqa’s eyebrows waggled at this, “that’s just how it is. Marry Volta, and kill Vlastomil. Remind me, how old are we again?” The game was fun when she was a teenager, but she was quite bemused by it now.

Ignoring her, Natiqa launched into the next round, leaving Gemini helpless to cooperate. They continued the game for a bit, the sky darkening with each outrageous response and howl of excitement as she eventually got tipsy enough to get into it. Finally, Natiqa tore her gaze from Gemini doubled over in laughter to check the clock. “Alright, last one, or we’ll be late.” Gemini settled down and sat up. She was grateful to have a friend like her—she could be flitting about the palace right now doing any number of things to help Nadia with last-minute touches for the ball. Instead, she was with her, trying to cheer her up so she wouldn’t feel so low once they had to make their appearance in the main hall. She also was not one to help with event preparation to begin with, but it was the thought that counted.

Putting a finger to her lips, Natiqa thought for a moment before holding up a fist. “Pontifex Vulgora, the _finally_ late Count Lucio,” she listed, sticking up a finger with each name. Gemini made a face at the already unimpressive list. With a self-satisfied smirk, the final option was revealed: “Quaestor Valdemar.”

Silence. Then, the sound of barely contained giggling as Gemini dramatically rolled her eyes and fell back onto the chaise. While Gemini sulked at ending the game with that lineup, she couldn’t deny the extra heavy _thump_ in her chest when she heard the last person’s name. It should have made her skin crawl, thinking of the creepy doctor’s malicious smile and decidedly non-human mannerisms. And yet…

_Am I attracted to the Quaestor?_ The thought startled her. Before she let her mind stray further, she shook her head and coughed, hoping to cover for her pause in answering. “First of all, yuck, Natiqa.” A grin was flashed her way while she pondered over her choices.

“I want an explanation for these, too,” Natiqa added innocently. Perfect.

“Kill Vulgora, for sure. As far as I’m concerned, it would be self-defense.” She shivered at the thought of their red face and “murder eyes,” as she called them, and Natiqa chortled. “Marry Lucio, because he’s dead and it would be no trouble to immediately get a divorce.” The laughter increased while she tried to think of how to explain her last choice; abruptly, Natiqa sat up, mock scandalized.

“Oh ho ho, that means—”

“Yes, fuck the Quaestor,” Gemini admitted, beating her to the punch. “They’re not dead, and they’re not Vulgora, so that’s all.”

Natiqa cocked her head. “You sure about that first one?”

Gemini’s lip twitched. “Not at all.” They both cackled at that, and she stood up and smoothed her dress. Padding to the vanity, an assortment of bobbles and fine jewelry greeted her. “Now come help with my hair, please. It’s almost time.”

A knowing grin played on Natiqa’s features as she complied. “Oh, you’re not sliding out of this that easy.” She proceeded to tease Gemini about her implied attraction to Quaestor Valdemar as she slicked back her hair and put the finishing touches on her makeup. Soon enough, she stood back and admired her handiwork in the mirror. “Alright, cutie pie. Whaddya think?”

_Natiqa is so good at this, what the hell_. Gemini turned her head to admire the way her cheekbones glittered in the fading light and sounded her appreciation at the severe lines artfully drawn around her eyes. “Sexy.”

“No, the makeup.” She swatted at Natiqa as she laughed. Once Gemini laced up her heels, she took the arm offered to her as they made their way down to the main hall. They chatted lightly about random things before the conversation returned to where Gemini preferred it did not.

“So,” Natiqa prompted, dropping her voice to a whisper. “Are we on the prowl for the Quaestor tonight, or—”

“Sh!!” Gemini was mortified, looking around the empty hallway to make sure no one heard. “Will you drop that already? No!”

Natiqa shot her a teasing smile, followed by a “Sorry, sorry.” She was silent for a moment before continuing. “But as you said, it’s Lovers’ Day, you look goddamn hot, and you’re single. You’re not going to try to get a cuddle buddy for the evening?”

“No,” Gemini groaned. She was already in a vulnerable state—she did not think a one-night stand was wise. “You know I’m not in the state of mind for that.”

They fell silent again, Natiqa looking like she wanted to say more before she sighed instead. “Alright, no doctor or stranger love tonight.”

Not wanting her to be too disappointed in her, Gemini offered, “You know what, there might be someone after all.” The familiar sparkle returned to Natiqa’s eyes as her face lit up.

“Ooh, tell me!” She exclaimed.

“Is Nazali coming tonight?” Just as she anticipated, Natiqa’s face fell, her excitement morphing into a deadpan expression.

“What.”

“They are very attractive, and maybe I’ll flirt with them a little if they’re game,” Gemini pressed on, pretending to be oblivious. “Actually, the entire Satrinava family is hot.” She raised an eyebrow to Natiqa’s vacant stare. “Especially your dad. Total DILF.”

“…DILF.”

“That’s ‘Dad I’d Like to F—”

“I know what it means!” Natiqa shrieked, wrinkling her nose and pulling away. Gemini’s laughter was cut short as they approached the double doors leading to the main hall. Her palms started to sweat, and she was thankful for the arm-length gloves currently shielding Natiqa from her clammy grip.

“Ready?” asked Natiqa, looking over at her.

She took a deep breath. “Ready.”

#

“Cheers, babe.” Following the clink of their glasses, the two friends downed their shots in unison, Gemini expelling a refreshed sigh and Natiqa scrambling to stuff a lime into her mouth. It was nice of Natiqa to suggest them to take the edge off even though she wasn’t a fan of alcohol herself. Gemini turned to survey the room.

The palace decorators really outdid themselves—pink, red, and white streamers draped from the impossibly high ceiling, and the chandelier emitted a subtle rosy, warm light. The tiled floor was filled with illusions of swirling hearts, occasionally bathing a dancing couple in its light. As usual, long tables stacked with various delights—both Vesuvian and foreign, no doubt to suit all visitors’ tastes—lined the perimeter of the dance floor. At one corner of the room, a fountain bubbled with pink champagne; directly across from it on the other side of the room, there was a chocolate fountain with a varied spread of snacks to dip with. A giant heart-shaped structure sat just outside the main window, pulsing pink and red.

Needless to say, the atmosphere was… romantic. It both brought a smile to Gemini’s lips and made her shoulders slump. Oh, how she couldn’t wait until the night was over.

“Gem, how can you drink this stuff?” Natiqa’s incredulous voice pulled Gemini out of her thoughts. “It burns!”

“I like the burn,” she replied, spotting a shock of wild red hair. Its owner beamed at them, making her way through the crowd. A warm smile blossomed on Gemini’s cheeks. “Portia!”

“Long time no see!” greeted Portia, patting Gemini’s arm. She stepped back as she took in the rare image of her in a dress. When Portia voiced her approval, Gemini stood up a bit straighter and adjusted her leg to show off the slit, eliciting appreciative sounds from her friends. Maybe praise would cheer her up after all. The three chatted about what they’d been up to recently, and the other shared a laugh as Gemini complained about the cursed game she’d been coerced into earlier. Eventually, Portia cleared her throat before flagging down one of the servants strolling around the room with a tray of shot glasses. “Anyway, should we do a shot?” Gemini watched the way Natiqa’s face changed, amused.

“We just did one,” she remarked gravely.

“It’s Lovers’ Day, let’s do another!” Portia expertly grabbed two of the offered glasses in one hand, taking a third in the other. When Natiqa hesitated, Gemini chuckled and took one shot in each hand.

“I’ll take yours for you, Tink,” she said. Natiqa’s shoulders sagged in relief.

“Oh, thank god,” she breathed. “I can’t afford to get inebriated right now anyway.” Gemini merely winked before tipping a glass backward, draining its contents. The way her throat was set on fire was just what she wanted—no chaser necessary. She grinned contentedly as the heat spread through her chest. A little liquid courage to keep up her brave face was the boost she needed to make it through what would be an exhausting evening. If she gave it at least three more hours, she could probably sneak off back to the room she was staying in and pass out early. On any other night, she would be up for dancing on tabletops with Portia and making a fool out of herself with her lack of skill, but alas.

“Gemini?” She was again brought back to the present by someone speaking to her. “Gemini, are you alright?” a regal voice called. Tuning back into her surroundings, she could see Nadia in elegant dress, impeccably on-theme for the night as usual. Gemini wasn’t sure how long she’d been standing there, but given that even Natiqa looked worried, she could hazard a guess. _Stiff upper lip_. She tilted her head slightly and flashed her usual lopsided grin.

“Nadi.” Nadia was visibly relieved to hear her warm timbre, though her eyebrows remained a little scrunched up in concern. Before she could press further, Portia returned from chatting with one of the servants and perked up when she saw her lover. Nadia leaned down to peck her freckled cheeks, Portia giving her a soft greeting in return. Gemini signaled Natiqa to follow her lead and they moved to give the lovebirds some space. They didn’t get very far before a jovial man called out to Natiqa, who winced; Gemini could tell he was someone important from a neighboring city by his expensive attire and his slight accent. She smiled—it was just as she had predicted.

Natiqa mouthed an apology before turning around with an amiable grin. “Johannes! How is the night finding you?” Gemini just shook her head and lingered for a moment, admiring how quickly her friend could turn on the charm. Just moments earlier, she was grimacing about taking a shot, yet she smoothly took the glass of purple liquid that the nobleman offered her. She hoped for her sake that it was something sweet and scanned the room for somewhere to stand non-awkwardly. Her eyes caught a table full of steamed buns, and her mouth watered. Even though she’d had dinner, she decided she could afford to indulge herself a little and strode over with purpose.

Her mission was interrupted when she felt two pokes on either side of her waist—immediately after, she was swept up into a bone-crushing hug. _Oh no_.


	2. Chapter 2

“Gemini!” Asra’s airy laugh felt like coming home, the scent of lavender accompanying his warm embrace. It took her breath away, figuratively and literally—his hugs were famously too-tight, but she still counted them among her favorite things in the world. She laughed as he seemed to squeeze her tighter and steeled herself before turning around to reciprocate. Resting her chin on one shoulder, she watched as Faust slithered up from his other side to boop her and give her a friendly snake kiss.

Asra leaned back as his eyes roamed over her in what Gemini had come to recognize was his obligatory scan to make sure she was well after they’d been apart. While he did that, she took note of how his normally fluffy hair was slicked back for the formal occasion and the luxurious robes that adorned his lithe frame. They were impeccably tailored, no doubt prepared by Nadia as well. When she was done giving him the once-over, her eyes traveled back to his face in time to meet his gaze, the dimples that made her heart skip a beat deepening. The results of his own review must have satisfied him, as he released her briefly to delicately hold her shoulders. “How are you?” Squinting his eyes after a moment, he tweaked her chin. “Why is your face so red?”

 _Shit_. “I’ve been drinking,” she replied cooly. “You’ll be red soon too.” Asra made a face like he didn’t quite buy it, but she was saved by someone coughing behind him.

“Um, I’d like to hug Gemini too.”

Asra playfully rolled his eyes and stepped back as Julian pulled her into another embrace and rocked her from side to side. They noticed Asra looking between the two of them and glanced at each other, erupting into laughter a split second later. “Don’t give us that look!” Gemini teased, extending a hand. He then shamelessly wrapped his arms around both of them, sighing in contentment. Asra’s desire to hold their attention at all times was never going to stop being funny to her. As they broke away, she worked herself up to ask the question she’d been dreading the answer to for months. “How was your trip?”

Asra leaned against Julian with a dreamy expression. “Oh, it was wonderful,” he gushed. “We saw many amazing things during our travels, although I’ll admit I originally wasn’t excited about a sea-faring adventure.”

Julian grinned pridefully. “Though many are skeptics, everyone always comes to see reason once they get their sealegs.” He snaked an arm around Asra’s waist as he continued. “Can you imagine it, Gemini? Blue skies and serene waters as far as the eye can see, the occasional town just cresting above the horizon. We did have to stop for supplies every now and then, but I really wanted him to get the full experience of the freedom being on a ship provides.” He swept his free arm out theatrically, fully engaged in his tale. “No destination, no sense of time, no obligations… just sailing.” Gemini bobbed her head politely, trying not to be too obvious about looking for another servant with alcohol.

Asra looked up at him with a teasing yet affectionate look. “You lost me there, my love. I wouldn’t say we had no sense of time and obligations when we rushed to arrive here on time.”

Julian flushed a light pink, Gemini joining Asra in a fit of giggles. “Well, I—you know what I meant.”

Perking up, Asra turned back to her. “How have things been in Vesuvia? The shop? How has your training been going?” He fired off questions rapidly, and it took everything in Gemini to contain her laughter. He crossed his arms defensively. “You didn’t contact me once, I was worried.”

Bitterly, she thought about how she would have had to use the water communication spell he taught her and swallowed the words that bubbled up about how she didn’t want to see what he and Julian were getting up to. “Of course I didn’t, you were on vacation,” she said instead.

“That so?” he answered, concern creasing his forehead. “I was gone for a while this time though.”

Gemini shrugged. “You’ve been absent longer.” She immediately regretted her word choice, kicking herself as she watched his face fall. Julian looked back and forth between them, clearly lost. Before Asra could reply, she spotted the servant with the tray of shots again and emptied her glass as he approached. _Oh my god, yes, Shots Guy_. Just as Portia did earlier, she grabbed three of the small glasses and replaced them with her now empty flute. Gesturing with her arms, she turned back to her companions. “More importantly, shots! Yay!” She pushed the drinks onto them despite Asra obviously having more to say.

“Gemini,” he started, tone tinged with worry. “How many drinks have you—”

“Not enough, cheers!” She hurriedly clinked her glass with Julian’s and swallowed the clear liquor. He did the same and let out a belch, instantly blushing when Asra’s eyes narrowed at him. “I should go. I need to ask Nadia something.” The lie rolled off her tongue with ease as she waved her hand at them and turned, Asra moving to follow her. However, before they could take more than a few steps, an acquaintance of his that she recognized as a regular at the shop stepped between them to say hello. They proceeded to engage him in conversation, and she gratefully took the opportunity to slip away.

She leaned against a pillar to ponder her next move. Her steps were beginning to require more concentration than usual; she chided herself for drinking so much within such a short amount of time. She knew it wasn’t the right way to cope but didn’t know what else to do, never having been in a situation like this. Even still, her reputation of being able to drink anyone under the table would not help her here if she didn’t slow down and pace herself.

Suddenly, something caught her attention from the corner of her eye. It took every fiber of her being not to jump ten feet into the air when she realized Quaestor Valdemar was standing right next to her. The urge to close her eyes and calm her beating heart was strong as she considered the similarities between them and a spider. _One minute there’s nothing there, the next they’re perched somewhere they shouldn’t be and daring you to say something about it_. Even under the surgical mask, she could tell they were smirking at her with their signature wide grin as if they knew how much they’d frightened her just then. Knowing them, Gemini figured that was exactly what that look meant.

“Hi,” she tried, surveying their attire for the night. Not that she needed to—as expected, they had not dressed up for the occasion. Instead, they wore their usual medical uniform and horned headdress. Looking closer, she saw a tiny red heart placed carefully along their jawline, standing out against the stark white of their mask. She couldn’t help the way her lips twitched as she struggled not to snort in laughter at the random reference to the holiday. “Nice heart,” she offered again, tapping the heart’s location on her own face.

Valdemar cocked their head in their familiarly unsettling way. “It was the handmaiden’s request.”

She quirked an eyebrow. “You didn’t decline?”

“She stole all my masks,” they said flatly, this time eliciting a real laugh from Gemini. It was a very Portia-like thing to do. She could just imagine her snickering at her own genius as she snatched the stack of masks they kept in their dungeon, leaving only the one she’d drawn a heart on and a note. At the sound of her laughter, Valdemar quirked their head in the opposite direction as they looked her up and down.

“You are wearing a dress.” As she came down from her laughing fit, Gemini became suspicious. Did they have an ulterior motive for talking to her, or was this their attempt at making conversation? If the latter, _why_? They were hardly known to bother with other people.

Nevertheless, she took it in stride and simply agreed. “Uh-huh.” The band started up another animated song, prompting people to couple up and move to the dancefloor. She looked on with envy as one guest got up onto a table and started footwork so fast, she couldn’t understand how they remained upright. _I wish I was enjoying myself that much right about now…_

When she returned her gaze to Valdemar, she noticed that they had followed her gaze out into the crowd. She took the chance to study their profile, having never taken the time before. All of their features were harsh and symmetrical, almost meticulously placed. Yes, they did have a rather severe look, but they weren’t all hard edges and intimidation in her eyes. Their tiny nose was cute and she was a sucker for long eyelashes, which they had in spades. What they were like when they were still human remained a mystery, but she wondered where their appearance between now and then differed—besides the green complexion, of course.

She paused abruptly, swiveling her head away from them.

 _Did… did I just think_ Quaestor Valdemar _was cute?_ Maybe she shouldn’t have any more drinks tonight. _Do I really find them that attractive?_ Her face began to heat up. Natiqa was going to get an earful for this later; Gemini absolutely blamed that silly game for putting those thoughts in her head.

Her reverie was broken when she sensed ruby eyes on her once again. The poker face she summoned was done in vain, as she could see the amusement on their face plain as day. _God, I hope they can’t read thoughts_. She narrowed her eyes to see if they reacted to that last thought at all. When they just blinked at her, she felt a little better. Fiddling with the shot glass she’d never discarded, she asked, “Want to dance?”

There was a pregnant pause before Valdemar broke out into a large, toothy grin. “No,” they answered coldly. She admittedly expected that answer, but the sting of rejection still stung. After giving her a parting chuckle, they promptly spun on their heel and strode away briskly. Gemini clicked her tongue, only a little disappointed. She tried to imagine what they would be like dancing and made herself laugh out loud as she conjured a picture of them stiffly moving one limb at a time to the music.

Once she started thinking about getting some water, she felt yet another familiar presence. This one, however, was pleasant. When her eyes met with Nazali’s, the laughter in their expression was contagious and she couldn’t help but chuckle at herself. _Amazing_. _I’m two for two on running into people I made shameless comments about to Tink today_. “Yo.”

“Was I intruding on an imaginary comedy performance, or…?” they teased. Gemini just shook her head and gestured at the water fountain with her chin. Nazali fell into step with her as they walked over and they regaled her with the details of their last trip. When she asked if they had come straight to the ball from their travels, they relayed that they’d made a pit stop in Prakra first.

Sipping her water, she caught Nadia’s eyes across the room. She was standing by her mother, Queen Nasrin, at the stairway, listening to what she was saying intently while holding Gemini’s gaze. It made her shift in her spot next to Nazali. Noticing this, they turned back to look in the same direction and hummed once they spotted their sister.

“Don’t worry, she’s probably not looking at you,” they reassured with a grin. “Dia tends to look off into the distance when she’s really concentrated on something.” When she nodded, they scratched the back of their head and looked back again. “They’re probably discussing that member of the Prakran court that’s recently gone missing.”

“Missing?” At this, Gemini’s serious mode kicked in, and she stood up straighter.

Nazali just patted her shoulder, laughing lightly. “No need to get yourself all worked up in a tizzy. I don’t have all the details since I’ve been traveling, but apparently, it was somebody important enough for _maa_ to be so concerned. Of all the things she has to worry about with governing Prakra, this person’s absence still made her top ten.”

“I see…” Gemini still wasn’t at ease—she knew not everything amiss would lead to a world-ending threat like Lucio’s shenanigans did, but she remained on edge even now. She wanted to help but had no “in” with Prakran politics and affairs, so she begrudgingly accepted that there was probably nothing she could do.

Nazali checked their pocket watch and adjusted their clothes. “Well hey, I should get going. It was good to see you!” She returned the sentiment and turned to move on as well, Nazali raising a hand in parting. After a moment, Gemini sighed and wished she had her own watch to look at. Despite the brief reprieve talking to the Quaestor and Nazali provided, she still didn’t want to be there. She decided she would take a stroll outside in the hedge maze to clear her thoughts, and exited the hall. Guests were scattered throughout the hallway, although sparsely; the din of their chatter was enough to be noticeable, but not drown out the click of her heels on the palace tile.

When she rounded a corner into a quieter area, she spotted two people tangled together against the opposing wall. Quietly sucking in a breath and backpedaling to hide, she hoped she hadn’t been heard. Judging by the sounds coming from their direction, she didn’t think she had anything to worry about there. Instead, she was doing her best not to make a sound.

The eyepatch and long limbs.

The tuft of white hair and golden brown skin.

All of her efforts that night were for nothing because now she had seen it. She was forced to face what she didn’t want to accept head-on. Like a dam in a mighty storm, the feelings Gemini had stuffed down deep within herself for the past few months threatened to burst all at once.

She worked as quickly as she could to cast a temporary cloaking spell that would cause people not to pay her any mind. Then she hiked up her dress and whirled around in search of an empty room, her heels now overpowered by the sound of her beating heart in her ears. Against her wishes, the first tear slid down her cheek as she pushed open the door to the library and shut it quickly behind her. She collapsed in a heap onto Julian’s old desk, sobbing.

The door opened again almost immediately and she sat ramrod straight, arm poised to immediately blow whoever it was right back out. Seeing this, Nadia raised her hands, blurting out, “Gemini, it’s just me!” They stared at each other for a moment, Gemini’s heavy breathing the only sound between them. Then, slowly, she sank back down onto the desk, sniffling as she tried to calm her tears. She did not want to cry in front of anyone, but it seemed Nadia had other plans.

Gingerly, she sat on the desk and faced Gemini, lifting her chin gently. “What is wrong?” she asked, concern painting her refined features.

Gemini turned away. “Sorry,” was all she could utter with the lump in her throat. _Nadi should be enjoying her party, not in here with me because I couldn’t even cast a spell right_. The evening was somehow turning out even worse than she anticipated.

As though she sensed where Gemini’s mind was going, Nadia spoke up. “Hey. I am here with you right now, and I want you to tell me what’s going on with you. You’ve been off the whole night, I could tell.” Gemini did her best to steady her trembling lower lip.

“Nadi…” Her voice came out in a wail. “I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t be like this.”

“Don’t apologize, just talk to me.” When she reached over to rub her back, Gemini gave up as more hot tears swelled. The weight of her feelings for Asra bore down on her, overwhelming and destructive all at once with their hopelessness. She told Nadia about realizing her feelings only to learn that her love was nurturing a romance with another. About the regret she felt at not recognizing sooner, especially after Portia had let it slip that Asra previously held the same feelings for her for years. About the constant guilt she battled with as she kept this secret from her closest friend, unwilling to burden him with the confession, yet unable to truly be supportive of his new relationship with the former plague doctor. More than anything, she was frustrated with herself for feeling powerless to move on after months of watching the two be the happiest she’s seen them when they were together. She should have known better, yet she’d let her emotions boil over to this point, and now she was ruining her friends’ experience on such a magical day with her personal issues.

Nadia didn’t say anything while she poured her heart out, only listening and continuing to rub soothing circles into her back. Gemini’s breathing eventually calmed a little and she slowly began to wipe her tears, taking deep breaths.

“I think,” she continued after a long pause, “that I was dreading tonight because I knew this would happen. I knew they would turn up for the ball, and that seeing them together like this would be the end. That it would…” The words weren’t coming to her easily. “That it would hurt.” She sat back in the chair, having said her piece.

Nadia squeezed her hand. “And yet, you still came.”

Gemini sniffled again. “I didn’t want to disappoint you. Yet here I am doing it anyway.” When she chuckled at that, Nadia shook her head fiercely.

“You have not disappointed me. In fact, I couldn’t admire your strength more.” Gemini’s confused expression encouraged her to continue. “Coming here, knowing what the outcome would be, was the first step. That takes a lot of bravery, and you’ve already done that part. All that’s left is to keep moving, and things will only get better from here.” She gave Gemini a warm smile as she wiped her wet face. “Thinking of it that way, as the start of a new chapter… today is a good day, isn’t it?”

Gemini stared up at her, perplexed. How could it be a good day when it had taken such an emotional toll on her? And yet, after a few moments allowed those words to sink in, the prick of fresh tears stung her eyes. She didn’t know if it was the tone of her voice when she said it, or the tender expression on Nadia’s face as she returned her gaze, but she understood.

“It’s a good day,” she nodded weakly. Nadia made a soothing sound in reply, and they sat in calm silence for a few moments. Finally, after regaining control of her sniffling, Gemini spoke.

“Where do I go from here? I don’t have much experience with…” she trailed off, gesturing at herself. “…all these feelings.”

Nadia paused to think. “You take it day by day. There is no easy way to let go when you love someone, and the process is different for everybody. For you, that might be putting some distance between the two of you temporarily, at least until the pain isn’t so fresh.”

Gemini sighed heavily—she wasn’t okay, but she was getting there with Nadia’s help. It would be hard to go back to the place she and Asra shared together for so long, the years of memories gathered in every trinket and around every corner in their shop and home. Nadia generously offered her a place to stay in the palace while she sorted out her feelings; Gemini wasn’t one to rely on others much, but she thought she might have to take her up on that offer.

“You must have had an emotional day,” Nadia said, standing. “I completely understand if you would like to duck out of the ball early.” When Gemini began to deny it, Nadia waved her hand. “My feelings won’t be hurt, I promise.”

Resting her chin in her hands, Gemini looked up at her in wonder. “Nadi, what have I ever done to deserve you?” She tilted her head slightly and allowed herself a small smile. “Thank you. Love you.”

“You can always lean on me,” Nadia returned with a subtle curtsey. “And I love you too.” She then excused herself, parting with the promise of breakfast together in the morning before the library door fell closed behind her.

Alone with her thoughts, Gemini turned to the window and let out yet another sigh. _What a fine situation this is_. _You’ve really outdone yourself this time, falling for your best friend like this. It’s like a scene out of one of Julian’s dramatic plays he loves so much_. She figured making light of her plight might help her get herself together quicker so she could at least trudge back to her room with some dignity, but she felt no motivation to move. Sinking back down onto the desk, she put her head down and let her exhausted eyes fall closed. Perhaps she could just sleep there and worry about everything tomorrow.

She was jarred fully awake when a sneering voice hissed into her ear, “Tears, apprentice?”

In a split second, she was on the other side of the room, heart beating wildly out of her chest as the remains of her magic fell lightly around her. Valdemar was looking very pleased with themselves, advancing on her slowly with a mixture of glee and malice behind their razor-sharp grin. “I didn’t think you’d take it so hard when I said no earlier.”

 _Oh hell no_. She didn’t waste much time thinking about how and when they had slithered into the room, closing her eyes and sucking in a deep breath. However much they’d seen of her moment of weakness, she wasn’t going to let them have this. They were not going to get the last laugh by intimidating her after the night she had. She straightened her back and set her jaw, daring them to try to bully her. “On the contrary,” she shot back. “Today is a good day.”

The doctor only briefly paused in their approach, cocking their head in their telltale amused expression. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind they took note of her smeared makeup and tear-stained gloves, and she didn’t care. Even when they entered her personal space and towered over her—cold, latex-clad fingers settling on her bare shoulders—she didn’t break eye contact, regarding them defiantly. They leaned down until their lips hovered dangerously close to her ear. She stopped breathing for a moment, disturbed by the contrasting lack of body heat yet still-warm breath Valdemar emitted.

“I have business in here, apprentice. Move.” With that, they spun her around within their firm grasp and quickly, yet prudently, hustled her out of the library. Once she was in the hallway, they pushed her away and shut the door without sparing her a second glance.

Gemini blinked. _What was that about_? After all, it wasn’t as though she hadn’t already seen their secret dungeon. Sighing for the umpteenth time that night, she pinched the bridge of her nose. She decided she didn’t care.

This time, she focused while crafting the spell to hide from the palace guests, doubly motivated by the sorry state she was sure her makeup was in. She passed a multitude of themed rooms as she walked but had no energy to peek into any of them and marvel at the wonders inside. Truly, she felt bad about not being able to fully enjoy the wonderful evening Nadia worked tirelessly to create, but it was out of her hands. All she was looking forward to was her bed.

The time she took to get undressed and scrub her face clean was a blur upon returning to her quarters. Within seconds of crawling into bed, she fell into a deep sleep.

#

The chirp of songbirds getting up and about for the day gradually pulled Gemini out of her slumber. Her eyelids felt too heavy to open, body too sluggish to even roll over in search of a cooler pillow. She was just about to go back to sleep when she heard a sharp rapping of knuckles on her door, the sound of it opening following a moment later. The memory of Nadia’s promise about breakfast was the first to surface from the previous night, and she groaned at the thought of getting up before at least ten.

“Five more minutes, Portia,” she mumbled, nuzzling into her pillow further.

A feminine, yet unfamiliar voice rang out in response. “Excuse me, Miss Klim.” Gemini cracked open an eye to find a different palace servant hovering awkwardly in the doorway. “Milady is waiting with breakfast ready in the dining hall.”

Honestly, she didn’t want to go. Her body begged her to stay and sleep in as if she hadn’t rested in a hundred years. Surely, Nadia would understand. Turning her head away, she announced, “Sorry, but I don’t think I’m able to make it. I’m not feeling too well.”

There was a pause before the servant spoke again, sounding conflicted. “But her ladyship stated it was of the utmost importance that you attend.”

Gemini opened both eyes now with a start. While she knew Nadia might want to check in with her to make sure she was okay, she doubted she would push the matter just for that. It was more than likely that something else was up. “Ah, hell,” she muttered to herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I double-updated because I didn't want an obscenely long first chapter, heh... you would not believe all the content I cut out to make it a reasonable two chapters from 30 pages in word (don't remember word count, but it was Too Much™)


	3. Chapter 3

The cape on her shoulder fluttered behind her as she moved briskly down the hall, making her way to the veranda. It was just a piece of fabric fastened to her uniform jacket, but it nevertheless made her feel powerful every time she donned it. Just as well, too—she may have lived her personal life not taking things too seriously, but she took pride in embodying the picture of stability and strength during her work. The possibility that Nadia might want to discuss the curious case Nazali mentioned was enough to chase the fatigue from her aching muscles. Lucio's murder investigation had given her a taste for mystery, and she had been waiting for something that could scratch that itch since its conclusion.

The servant hurried ahead to open the doors to the veranda for her. The sight would have been picturesque—Nadia's long violet locks flowing in the breeze as she turned to greet her with a gentle smile—had it not been for a put-out looking Quaestor. Gemini cursed her heart for the way it leaped at the sight of Valdemar. She hadn't paid it any mind before last night, but looking back she could clearly see that she had become very aware of them in a romantic way at some point. Whether their eyes met during a court meeting or they just crossed paths in the hallway, the event was always accompanied by the tiniest of flutters within her chest. It felt wrong. Putting aside their confrontation in the library, she hadn't seen a single thing from them that would justify her paying them any mind outside of what was required of her at the palace. They were cold, sadistic, and generally unpleasant. She knew this.

She knew this and yet when Valdemar spared her a quick glance before returning their attention to the tea they were swirling, she found herself wishing their gaze would linger a little longer. She couldn't help the snort that escaped through her nose. Most people wouldn't be this worried about someone else so soon after having their heart broken, but there she was, defying logic with her emotions all over the place. _Fine. Valdemar is hot, and I'm a hot mess. That's all it is._ Gemini concluded it was harmless attraction not worth dwelling on.

"Good morning!" Nadia chirped, gesturing at the chair opposite Valdemar. "I thought this would be a nice change of pace from the dining room. Come sit, breakfast will be out in a moment. How are you feeling?"

Gemini took the offered seat. "Good, thanks," was her short reply. She didn't feel comfortable going into any further detail when Valdemar was sitting right there. With the pitiful appearance she had the last time they saw each other, she wasn't sure what they would say and didn't want to encourage any taunting. However, they seemed mostly concerned with cooling their tea at the moment; she found herself grateful for their usual lack of interest in people. Tearing her attention away from them, Gemini gave Nadia a meaningful look.

Nadia nodded and straightened up just as some servants began laying out plates. A decadent array of pastries was theirs to share while Nadia received a plate piled high with varying fruits, and Gemini's serving included hot entrees like scrambled eggs and sausages. Valdemar didn't get anything because they didn't eat and had given up pretending to a while back. It took all Gemini had not to drool as she helped herself to some orange juice and cinnamon rolls. Valdemar made no move to grab anything and instead spoke up for the first time since her arrival. "Countess, what is this about?"

Popping a strawberry in her mouth, Nadia thanked the servants on their way out and turned to face Gemini as she addressed her. "Right, I will begin with what I wanted to discuss with you," she said. Gemini unconsciously leaned toward her in anticipation. "I have received a request for your services in another nation."

She did her best not to break out smiling like an idiot, excitement welling up within. "Tell me more."

Nadia delicately tucked away a stray strand of hair. "During the ball, my mother and I discussed a matter she has been looking into regarding a member of the royal Prakran court. He has disappeared, you see. She would like his immediate return, but this is proving difficult since this was the court's magician. He does not appear to want to be found and has employed every manner of magic tricks to evade capture, and she now suspects he has left Prakra." At this, Gemini tensed. _Now_ this _is interesting._ She'd heard that someone may be missing, but to be on the lam?

"If I may," Gemini started. "Is there a particular reason they are looking for him so earnestly? I can't imagine he'd be difficult to replace."

She grimaced before she replied, "He attacked Nasmira."

Anger bubbled up within her. It was bad enough that a growing portion of society was already prejudiced against magicians, thinking them all evil or con artists. If this got out, she could only imagine the effect it might have on anyone practicing in Prakra. Before she spoke again, Gemini took a moment to temper her emotions. "Do we know why?"

Nadia shook her head. "We do not; Nasmira has also refused to speak since the incident, so we have not heard her side of events either." Gemini opened her mouth to ask another question, but she merely held up a hand. "I'm afraid that's all I can share with you at this point. I do not have all the details myself, and the queen would prefer to speak to you more about it in person. You understand, right?" Gemini nodded; Nasrin had no doubt also considered the implications of this news getting out unchecked, so she understood the caution. "She recognizes your work on Lucio's case and humbly requests your assistance with this matter. To what extent I do not know, but it might not be easy given that he has managed to evade capture for over a week." She paused to take a sip of her water. "What do you think? Will you consider it?"

Gemini leaned back to think, eyes wandering over to Valdemar, who couldn't look more bored. "I suppose we don't have any idea how long I'd be gone," she muttered. "Will things in Vesuvia be okay if I'm gone for more than a few days?"

"Of course. The queen asked me first to get my approval, and I do not think any of the projects you are working on are so urgent they cannot wait." Nadia's face darkened. "Even if they were, I would consider something like this a higher priority. It makes me... uneasy to know there is such a criminal on the loose."

"Then I accept. When do I leave?"

Nadia visibly relaxed as she let out a chuckle. "I always admire your eagerness! I knew you would accept, but I had to ask and make sure." She plucked another strawberry from her plate as Gemini shrugged. "Tomorrow morning; Consul Valerius will make the arrangements. Which brings me to you, Quaestor." Valdemar looked up at Nadia with a smile that was barely polite, bordering on condescending. If it was anyone but the Countess of Vesuvia that they were talking to, she was sure they would have made a snide remark about wasting their time. "Nafizah brought to my attention that Prakra is beginning a large scale clinical study on a new disease they are seeing crop up in that region. They are short one doctor and—"

"Yes." They had a genuine smile as they set down their now-empty teacup and tugged their mask back over their face. "I will participate."

If Nadia was taken aback by the quick response, she didn't show it. "Wonderful. Then you and Sibyl Gemini will travel together tomorrow morning. Please report to the Consul's office early to receive the details."

Valdemar nodded curtly before rising and looking both women in the eye. "Please excuse me." They almost seemed to float through the double doors as they disappeared back into the palace. Nadia watched them go before turning to shoot a look at Gemini that made her erupt into a fit of giggles.

"They are really something else," Gemini said between peals of laughter. She didn't know how Nadia put up with the courtiers' various exhausting personalities every day and thought Nadia must have had the patience of a saint.

Nadia just shrugged her shoulders and looked on as Gemini resumed eating. She watched her for a bit before saying, "You were so interested in what I had to say that you stopped eating? That is quite a feat."

"I heard a bit from Nazali yesterday, and even what little they told me had me interested. I had a pretty good feeling you wanted me to come this morning so we could discuss that."

Nadia's expression softened as she rested her chin on her hands. "Hard to get up this morning?"

Gemini swallowed, picking at the rest of her food. "A little, yeah." It would have been easy to zone out and feel sorry for herself all day, but she took her talk with Nadia the previous night to heart and wanted to start taking steps forward. "I do feel lighter now though, thank you." Nadia told her thanks were not necessary and that she just wanted to see her happy. Gemini wanted that too, but trying not to dwell on the thoughts of inadequacy that lingered in the wake of rejection seemed daunting. Although she had never actually confessed her true feelings to Asra, if he had at one point been in love with her and moved on, she found it difficult not to view it as something about her not being worth fighting for. Recognizing the direction her thoughts were drifting in against her desires, Gemini hurried and finished her breakfast before Nadia excused herself to attend to other matters.

Since she was already at the palace, it naturally made more sense for her to just stay there for the day and attempt to get some work done. Gemini had many duties as Sibyl, but mainly she was the Court Magician. Her strong ties to the arcana proved a useful guide to Nadia when making decisions, and she frequently consulted her for tarot readings after becoming a firm believer. Aside from that, she acted as a consultant for how magic could be used to enrich Vesuvian culture and infrastructure, and an advocate for magicians' rights. Those were just her stated responsibilities; anything to do with magic was ultimately her responsibility. It seemed like a lot of pressure when she initially accepted, but she became used to it and genuinely enjoyed the work. Being able to connect with other magic users in Vesuvia—whether they self-identified as magicians or not—and think about new applications for the medium provided much-needed fulfillment as the stress in her personal life unfolded. On days when she wasn't needed at the palace, she still tended the shop with Asra if he was around.

It was quite the walk with how big the palace was, but she eventually arrived at her office. The room had originally been unused and was converted into her personal space. She even had a desk to work at, though she preferred to pace the room or lounge on the comfortable couch and think, sometimes idly throwing a rubber ball against the opposing wall—it was an added bonus that this irked her surly neighbor, Valerius. The couch was so comfortable that she ended up sleeping there overnight whenever she didn't want to go home. This displeased Nadia, but Gemini declined every offer to build her an estate. "You are more than deserving of a place to call your own like the other courtiers," Nadia would insist, but Gemini didn't need anything extravagant like that. She loved her shop, and having a special place in the palace was more than enough for her.

To her surprise, Chandra was perched regally on her desk, right on top of some paperwork. "How did you get in here?" she mumbled, searching for an opening she might have missed. She gave up once she realized the window was shut tight and there was nowhere else she could reasonably have come from. _Must be yet another portal I'm not aware of._ When the owl tilted her head and stared back blankly, Gemini sighed and opened the window. "Alright, go on." Chandra immediately took flight, knocking over the microscope on the edge of her desk on her way out. "Hey! Watch it!" Her magic reached the instrument in time to save it from bursting into pieces on the ground.

Sighing in relief, Gemini examined it in her hands before setting it back on the desk. It was in the box of her belongings that Asra kept from before she had died. He'd hidden away items he thought might trigger her before she could handle her memories and only recently let her sift through it. Of course, he hovered over her like an anxious parent the entire time; besides the microscope, she found a few other mementos of her time working with Julian during the red plague. Medicine wasn't a particularly thrilling topic to her these days, but she'd been curious to see if anything would reignite in her if she tried again. She'd even begun studying healing magic more seriously. The microscope had stuck out to her the most since she didn't know what it was; she brought it to the palace one day to ask Julian about it, and it sat on her desk ever since. The idea that there was meaning behind Chandra knocking it over crossed her mind briefly, but she quickly discarded it. _I know she has precognition abilities like Nadi, but let's not get silly._ Being a magician that frequently interacted with the supernatural had made her more superstitious than she liked.

Finally free of distractions—she hoped—she scooped up a stack of papers and sunk onto the couch to buckle down and do the work she came to do. It was hard to stay focused at first, but once she got into it, time passed quickly. Just as she rose to light a candle and continue working, a rapping of knuckles on the door broke her from her trance. The door opened and Portia poked her head in.

"Whoa! It's dark in here," she said with a giggle. "Honorable Sibyl Gem—"

Gemini's noise of disapproval cut her off. "Don't! Only the other courtiers call me that. I barely got the servants to stop using it and just call me by my family name if they must." Nadia got away with it because she only used it in front of those outside their friend group for the sake of propriety. And, well, she was her boss.

Portia grinned impishly as she watched her strike a match. "I know, I just like when you get all worked up about it." After a pointed look from Gemini, Portia cleared her throat. "Funny you should mention the other courtiers..."

She stopped moving, hand hovering over the candle. "Yeees?" Gemini questioned.

"I just think you all could do with some team bonding! Because of that, Nadia and I took the liberty of planning a meal for you all on this lovely evening. Don't give me that look, please, it's good for you!" By the end of her proposal, Gemini's face was set in a frown and Portia put a hand on her hip defiantly. "There's no harmony between the six of you, which no doubt contributes to the tense atmosphere when you're all together. Spending some downtime together will allow you to be more comfortable with each other, which is the first step on the beautiful path towards friendship." Gemini's unimpressed look made her relent a little. "Okay, okay—cordial, at least? Friendly? Non-hostile work environment?"

The two had a staredown for another moment before Gemini threw her head back and groaned. "Ugh, fine." Portia smiled sweetly before thanking her and telling her to hurry to the dining room.

#

 _I knew it. I knew this was going to be no good._ The seven of them had been staring at each other uncomfortably for the past thirty minutes—Volta was whimpering about being starved from her place next to Gemini, Vulgora complained (loudly) every few moments about how the entire affair was a waste of time, Valerius kept swirling his wine with a bored expression, and Vlastomil looked about ready to beat it. Nadia looked the way Gemini felt, upper lip curled into a scowl and eyes shut. Portia at least looked regretful that her idea wasn't going as well as she'd hoped; even still, Gemini felt bad since she clearly meant well.

It was just like Valdemar to be inconsiderate like this.

Just as Vulgora was about to start up again, Valerius gave them a sharp look that made them snap their mouth shut. He then turned to give Nadia an imploring look. "Countess, could we _please_ move on with this dinner, if we must have it at all?" he huffed. "Who knows if Valdemar is going to make it?"

"No!" Portia blurted out, flushing a little when everyone looked at her. "It's not the same if not everyone is here..." She trailed off at the scornful look Valerius turned on her. He appeared to start saying something else before Nadia raised an eyebrow at him as a warning. Instead, he sighed dramatically and took a long draw from his glass.

Gemini rubbed her temples slowly. She couldn't take the painful atmosphere anymore. "I'll go get them," she volunteered, but made no move to get up. Despite the awkwardness, the last thing she wanted was to be the one pelted with a bunch of "Why should I?"s and "That has nothing to do with me"s.

Nadia shot her a grateful look. "Would you please, Sibyl? We would all be very appreciative."

Well, she couldn't take it back now. With great effort, she stood up and headed for the door with a swish of her cape. _Heh._ That always made her feel good; she straightened her back and steeled her resolve. However, the small amount of steam the action gave her petered out by the time she made it to the now-locked library. She made quick work of the locks with her magic and yanked on the necessary books to open the secret door to the dungeons. A small orb of light and her rising sense of dread were her only companions on her slow descent. Valdemar was incredibly observant—the more time she spent around them, the more likely it was they would find out about her strange attraction to them. She did not want to know how they'd react; she didn't want to be ignored, but she shuddered to think about what they would do with that information. There was also the aspect of rejection. Rejection was not what she needed while she worked through her jumble of angst-filled feelings.

The sickening crunch of bone was the first sound that greeted her once the lift arrived in the depressing area. She prepared herself for whatever she was about to see and rounded the corner into the room that contained the dissection table. Valdemar was facing away from her, thankfully blocking her view of whatever they were doing. They didn't immediately stop their careful movements over their subject; when they did eventually toss a disinterested glance her way, recognition sparked in their gaze. Gemini relaxed when they turned to face her fully and their uniform was spotless as always. Their eyes became bright the way they often did when they saw her, but she was well aware their interest began and ended with the Fool's body. "Apprentice," they greeted, steepling their fingers.

Gemini clicked her tongue. "It's not 'apprentice,' Quaestor. I've been a magician in my own right for a while now."

"Hmmm?" They merely looked her up and down before taking a few steps toward her. "What do you need?" She decided to ignore the deliberate sidestep.

"Dinner." They cocked their head. She crossed her arms. "You're almost an hour late. Will the good doctor be joining us?"

"I don't have the slightest idea what you are talking about." Their lips curled into that patronizing grin she hated-but-also-maybe-liked. She reminded them that Portia had been around to speak with them about the dinner plans earlier in the day, as she had rounded everyone up personally. They looked at her in feigned confusion. "Laaate? Meee? Did I say I was going?"

Giving up on maintaining absolute professionalism in front of them, Gemini gesticulated wildly in exasperation. _Here we go._ "Yes?"

Valdemar spun back around and picked up their tools, arms poised to resume their dissection. They hummed again before replying, "I believe my exact response to the handmaiden was 'Alright.' I merely acknowledged that she had spoken and I had heard her."

"Come to dinner."

They looked visibly taken aback and turned to face her once more, amusement written all over their face. "And why ever for? Why should I?"

 _Ugh!_ "Because we've all been waiting for you, and it will be a good exercise for the six of us to spend some non-work-related time with each other to improve our teamwork." She paused before adding, "And Portia asked you nicely."

A chilling laugh that only increased in volume when they dropped their head rang out. Gemini took the opportunity to mime their speech with her hand, mouthing their next words along with them: "That has nothing to do with me." She wondered if she'd be any good at doing Valdemar impressions. Sighing, she tried to level with them.

"Please just come. I'm sure you know as well as I do how annoying the others can get when given enough time to bicker amongst themselves. If you don't, I'll make sure I find a way to be a nuisance to you later."

The idea of that appeared to delight them, and they showed off a toothy grin. "Mmm, if you do that, I would be remiss not to reintroduce you to my beetles. You remember the beetles, don't you, Gemini? Oh, I am sure they would love to get a taste of you."

She pretended that didn't bother her. "Your threats are empty as long as I'm a valued member of this court and I'm as powerful as I am now."

Delight gave way to full-blown manic glee as their eyes widened even more. Their laughter echoed off the walls of the chamber for a long moment. Once they calmed down, they strode over to the sink and began rinsing off their tools. This gave Gemini a clear view of the mass of flesh they had been working on, but she already guessed it was only a cadaver and not anyone alive before Valdemar got their hands on them. The conspicuous lack of blood gave it away. After they neatly arranged their tools back on their tray, Valdemar smoothed the front of their uniform and gave her a little bow. "You have amused me. As a reward, I shall attend your frivolous gathering."

 _Thank god._ "Great. After you." They led the way back to the lift, picking up a clean surgical mask. Gemini squeezed in after them and closed the barrier while they reached around her to flip the lever. She tried to ignore the way her heart was beating out of her chest at the close proximity they shared. A handful of painfully slow minutes later, the lift lurched to a stop and she sped out of the small space.

As they walked side by side down the hallway, their height difference caught her attention. Only when Valdemar turned and gave her a strange look did she realize her hand had reached out to measure the distance between the tops of their heads. Sure, they had maybe a couple inches on her, but she could have sworn they seemed much larger when they'd chased her out of the library the previous night.

"What are you doing?" They didn't look mad, just confused; Gemini counted herself lucky.

She yanked her arm back down to her side. "Sorry for being rude," she said. "I just thought you were taller for some reason, but I guess not."

They chuckled without humor. "Things can appear larger than they are in reality when mortals are afraid." She narrowed her eyes; she didn't think that was it, but she wasn't going to get an answer from them anyway so she decided not to press the issue. "Also." The sound of their voice drew her eyes back to their face, and she noticed their eyes twinkling with laughter. "I was wearing boots with a high heel last night." She snorted. _So that was it, I knew it wasn't my imagination!_ It was regrettable that she didn't see them herself—the image of them in heels was massively appealing to her.

The two of them settled into silence once more, and she tried to think of a way to keep the conversation going. "You seemed excited this morning." They gave her a sidelong glance, but she continued. "About the medical research thing."

"'Excited' is an overstatement."

"Is it?" There was no reply, so she nodded to herself. "So it is... you're not particularly excitable, I suppose." After a few more moments, she made another attempt. "What time are you thinking we should meet at Valerius's office?"

"Five a.m."

She uttered a quick "Okay," but turned away to screw her face up in disgust. It would be a rough morning for her to say the least. Besides the upsetting news, she could tell she wasn't getting much more from them in conversation, so she gave up. Relief washed through her once she saw the mahogany door to the dining room.

Gemini burst in first and presented Valdemar with a flourish. "Introducing Quaestor Valdemar, who has decided to grace us with their heavenly presence this evening!" Besides a mumbled "Heavenly?" said Quaestor ignored her and moved to take the seat next to Vlastomil. Volta and Portia clapped until Nadia shot the latter a bemused look, Portia scurrying off to alert the servers that they were ready for the food. She briefly smiled affectionately before she schooled her expression back into its usual neutral state.

"Glad you could make it, Quaestor Valdemar," Nadia said, turning to them. "Do make more of an effort to be on time in the future."

"I was not aware you would be in attendance, Countess," they replied swiftly. "My deepest apologies." They didn't look sorry at all.

The dinner ended up being largely uneventful; Nadia and Portia did their best to encourage friendly conversation, but Gemini and Volta were the only ones to participate. Gemini didn't count Vulgora responding to everything with vague threats as participation. There were a few times throughout where her and Valdemar's eyes met, but they were otherwise only present physically. After it was all said and done, she felt no closer to her colleagues (except maybe Volta). Gemini remained to help Portia clear the table afterward, and Portia shot her an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry that was so painful," she said, her lower lip jutting out slightly. "I was only trying to be helpful..."

Gemini shrugged. "I understand. Misguided as it was, your heart was in the right place." When she caught sight of the time on the grandfather clock, she stiffened. "Shit, I should get going. I need to go home and pack so I can get back here in enough time to go to bed early." Indulging in her usual night owl tendencies was not wise with the time she was to meet up with Valdemar. Portia waved her away and thanked her for staying back to help.

#

When she arrived at the shop, the sign was flipped to "Closed" just as she'd left it the day before, but the protection spell was undone. She figured Asra was inside, but just in case, she knelt down to pick up a stray empty bottle to arm herself. Cautiously, she opened the door and shouted, "Hello?"

"I'm up here!" Gemini relaxed at the sound of Asra's voice. She properly disposed of the bottle before stepping inside fully and scanning the room. Julian's coat wasn't hanging anywhere and she couldn't hear his boisterous laughter, so she assumed he wasn't around. That at least made her feel somewhat better. "Are you hungry? I'm making dinner!" Asra's voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she took a deep breath before making the climb up the stairs.

He was in his pajamas—a simple long white tee over striped bottoms—while he stirred something in a pot. Despite having just eaten, the scent made her mouth water. Looking up at her, he broke into a big smile, and the effect it had on her trumped whatever seeing Valdemar did for her tenfold. It was hard not to fall for Asra; he was good-looking, attentive, caring, sweet, funny... if she had a checklist for qualities found in her would-be perfect match, he would tick every box. For the second time that day, her mind was veering into dangerous territory, so she set about course-correcting. She would do her best to act normal.

"I ate at the palace, but that smells good," she said as she headed toward the bed. "What is it?"

"It's just porridge. I had a craving for it after I woke up, so I'm making some."

Gemini laughed as she reached under the bed for her travel bag. "You just woke up?"

"Don't judge! I spent the day with Julian and was pretty tired when I got back, so I took a nap." He emptied the pot into a chipped bowl and padded over to the small kitchen table to watch her. Eagle-eyed as ever, he paused mid-bite when she stood up with the bag in hand. "Going somewhere?"

"Yeah," she said nonchalantly. "I have the opportunity to do some work in Prakra for Queen Nasrin, so I'm headed that way tomorrow morning."

Asra appeared to short circuit at all the news packed into that sentence, eyebrows disappearing into his bangs. "Wait, wait, wait. _Tomorrow?_ "

She halted her movements stuffing things into her bag to give him a look. "Tomorrow."

He ran a hand through his hair. "That's... but I just got back."

Gemini sighed and turned back to her task, biting back the snarky reply she wanted to say. _This isn't about you._ As attentive as he could be, he was only like that with certain people in his life (her being one of them) and could otherwise be a mite self-absorbed. She knew he didn't mean it that way, but she felt bothered anyway. "That's how it is."

Probably sensing her off mood, he quickly replied, "Well, I... I just miss you, y'know?"

"I know," she said quietly, softening. "I miss you too."

The porridge sat forgotten on the table as he leaned his chin onto his hands, breathing out slowly. "How long will you be gone?"

"Not sure."

He frowned a little, and she felt guilty for not being the easiest to talk to at the moment. She was finding it difficult to act the same as she had before she was aware of her feelings, and had not done so since a while before the lovebirds left for their trip. After a few beats of silence, he asked, "Do you know what you'll be doing?"

She bit her lip, not sure how much she was allowed to say. It was Asra, though, so she thought it'd be okay. "It's a case of a missing person, someone particularly important to the palace." As she folded her trusty scarf, she shot him an apologetic glance. "I don't have much more information than that."

"I see." The silence felt heavy as Asra drummed his fingers on the table, regarding her silently with concern etched onto his features. He was obviously trying his best to let her have her independence, especially after she proved her capabilities last year, but it had to be hard. It was only four years ago that he had to teach her how to function again—how to eat, how to walk, how to speak, everything. If the situation was reversed, she couldn't say she wouldn't act the same way. All too soon, he started on a topic Gemini had been dreading: "Hey, so you disappeared last night. Are you alright?"

She opted to stare at the ceiling instead of looking directly at him, mentally running through the list of items she had yet to pack. "Yep, totally fine. I was feeling a little under the weather, so Nadi let me crash at the palace. All good now."

"You did seem off when I saw you then, too," he pressed. She gave no answer as she moved about the room. The scratch of the chair against the wooden floor startled her as Asra stood and moved closer. Unconsciously, she took a step back, mind racing at the realization that he wouldn't let the subject go. Noticing this, his face hardened while she actively avoided looking at him. Gently, he took her chin into his hand and tilted it up until she finally met his gaze. "Gemini, what's going on with you? You haven't seemed right at all since I returned, and I'm worried about you."

Morbidly, she mentally pointed out that his caring actions were making things worse. _If only you knew_. "Nothing," she began, pushing his hand away. "Nothing is going on, I'm okay! I promise." Hoping her smile was reassuring, she gave his arm a friendly pat. Judging by the way his face seemed to crumble and his shoulders slumped, she guessed it wasn't, and the false expression slid off her face. Gemini swallowed the lump forming in her throat, tears welling in her eyes. It didn't feel good being this way with him; it was obvious she was hurting him, but she didn't know what else she was supposed to do. She was ill-prepared to have this conversation, and she did not have the emotional capacity for it.

"You're lying to me." The words managed not to sound accusatory falling from his lips, only heartbroken with the tremor in his voice as he said it. "I know we haven't spent much time together lately and it's only been a day, but you just suddenly feel... distant. I don't know what I did, but whatever it is Gemini, _I'm sorry_." The way he looked so utterly dejected made her feel miserable and ashamed.

Giving up, she sank down onto the bed. "It's not your fault, Asra." Her voice remained steady, but she didn't know how long it'd last. "I'm just going through some things right now, and I can't share them with you yet. I promise you that you did nothing wrong, so please don't think that you did."

He sat next to her, slowly pulling her head to rest on his shoulder. She let him, holding him tightly in a sideways embrace. "Okay," was his only reply at first, then, "When you're ready, I hope you can talk about it with me."

"I will, I promise." Closing her eyes, she melted into his soothing touch. When minutes passed and she started to feel herself falling asleep, she reluctantly removed herself from him. "I should get going. I have an early start tomorrow, and you know I hate mornings." That earned her a small laugh, and she felt marginally better. Asra watched her from his spot on the bed, remaining silent but following her every move as she finished up her packing.

Once she was done, Gemini hefted her things onto her shoulders, exhaling heavily with her hands on her hips as she regarded him. He looked back up at her with a small smile. "Be careful," he said, a hint of pleading underlying the request.

"Only if you be good," she quipped, ruffling his hair. He stood up and crushed her in a tight hug, resting his head against hers. She squeezed him back before stepping away so she could leave; it was a mighty trek back to the palace, after all. "I'll be back before you know it."

Asra sighed, a slightly ashamed smile on his lips. "Is this how you felt when I would leave for some undetermined amount of time? Gemini, I am so sorry."

She snickered, tossing him a farewell as she headed down the stairs and left the shop. Once she made it a couple blocks away, she let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. _Well, that was as intense as I feared._ She was used to sharing everything with Asra, so it was both new and frustrating to be dealing with feelings she wasn't ready to do that with. Beyond the romantic aspect of her troubles, it made her feel lonely; however, she was looking forward to the time away from him. It would give her space to clear her head, and she would hopefully be in a better place to move on with their friendship as normal when she returned. Even though she was going for work, she was excited for the opportunity to heal and maybe grow as a magician as well. Seeing new sights and having new experiences would only broaden her perspective, which she could use to better serve the people. And who knows, this adventure could be just what she needed to test the limits of her newfound wealth of magical potential.

Hopeful for what the days ahead would bring, she picked her head up higher and quickened her steps back to the palace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Valdemar isn’t short, Gemini is like 5’7”.
> 
> The delayed update is because I got the bright idea that I should make an outline for this story, and it took ages to complete. Now I should update weekly-ish. Thanks to all who have left kudos and comments and subscribed!


	4. Chapter 4

Bleary eyes stared back at her in the large bathroom mirror. Gemini needed to get moving, but her brain struggled to catch up to the rest of her body waking up for the day. She was especially miserable because she'd been having a well-deserved good night's sleep when one of the servants arrived for her wake-up call. Reluctantly rubbing the last bits of sleep out of her eyes, she sluggishly brushed her teeth and sunk into the bath to wash off the previous day's grime.

She was almost dressed, wrapping her scarf around her neck, when she spotted a knife poking out of her open travel bag. Stepping closer, she plucked it out and admired the ornate carving on the handle. It was a recent acquisition—Natiqa had given it to her as a birthday present. "I know your fists and your magic are the only weapons you'll ever need, but it's good to have options," she had said before presenting Gemini with the gift. The handle and sheath were made out of lacquered redwood, the swirling carvings finished with gold leaf. Unsheathing it, the cool, dark metal appeared to shimmer faintly like a starry night sky; Natiqa even had her initials, GK, etched into the blade. She dug around in the bag for her holster and strapped it to her thigh. Despite the early hour, her lips curled up in a playful grin as she admired her legs in the mirror. _I mean, I was sexy already but now I'm sexy_ and _badass_. Satisfied with her appearance, she took a deep breath and gathered the rest of her things before heading out.

The palace halls were eerily quiet as she walked to Valerius's office with heavy footsteps. Valdemar was already waiting by the door with a trunk strapped onto their back. As expected, they wore their usual uniformed getup; the only difference was they'd left off the apron. Their way of greeting was to meet her eyes at the sound of her approach, but they otherwise said nothing.

"Morning," Gemini said, voice scratchy. She cleared her throat and muttered mostly to herself, "Don't you ever wear anything else…?"

"No," came the matter-of-fact reply. She was surprised they said anything at all and counted it as a win.

A few silent moments later, Valerius sauntered leisurely around the corner with his morning wine in hand. He regarded them both with disdain—Valdemar responded with an unblinking stare and Gemini gave him a saccharine smile. After unlocking the door, he breezed into the room without a backward glance as they followed. Valdemar remained standing while Gemini took a seat across from him at the desk.

"Hey, best friend!" she chirped. Valerius frowned almost imperceptibly before rolling his eyes and taking a delicate sip of his drink.

"You will travel to Prakra by sea," he said with a bored tone. "It will be too late to continue traveling by the time you arrive, so you will rest in the port city overnight. I've already sent along word to its only inn, so your lodging is taken care of. A royal carriage will be by to fetch you in the morning." He opened a drawer and rummaged around in it before stiffly pushing a slip of paper toward her. "There." Clearly, that concluded his business with them; he shifted away to reach for some other paperwork and began skimming over its contents. Before Gemini could open her mouth to antagonize him further, Valdemar swiped the paper up from the desk. They read it carefully before their eyes rose to bore into Valerius.

"What is this?" they asked.

Valerius didn't bother looking up to reply. "Your travel arrangements."

Valdemar remained staring at him for a few moments, sharply crumpling the paper in their fist. A grin crept onto Gemini's face as her eyes flickered between the two. "No," they spit. " _This_ is the shipping schedule for a banana merchant."

"Yes. Your ship departs in one hour—do make sure you get on it before it does."

They stepped forward, leaning over the desk menacingly. "Do I look like a banana to you?" The tension was thick in the air, but she was too busy struggling not to laugh at the absurdity of it all to notice. "I'm afraid to hear the thick-witted answer rattling around in that empty head, but I simply must know."

Finally, Valerius looked up to meet both pairs of eyes with a smarmy grin. "I don't understand what the problem is. All of the palace's vessels are occupied, so I simply made do with what was available." That was most verily a lie, and perhaps Gemini would be more upset about it if Valdemar's reaction wasn't so comical. "I told the merchants to be prepared for two…" He paused briefly to look Valdemar up and down. "…human-sized pieces of cargo. They were more than happy to oblige. Try to be a little more grateful, hm?"

Scoffing, Valdemar slammed the paper back onto the desk. They were apparently no longer interested in pressing the issue as they swiftly exited the room, and Gemini couldn't say she blamed them. Valerius leaned back in his chair, looking happy with himself until his eyes fell on her again. He scowled. "Run along, _Sibyl_ ," he said, hissing the title. She stood, intentionally bumping the desk as she did. Red wine sloshed out of Valerius's glass onto his paperwork. Eyes blazing, Valerius sprang out of his chair with his lips twisted into a snarl.

Her hands flew up to her mouth as she gaped at the growing stain on the documents he was just perusing. "Oh, no!" she said with feigned regret. "Please accept my apologies, Consul. Silly me, I'm such a klutz!" As quickly as she'd summoned the fake reaction, she dropped it, replacing it with a mocking grin. _Don't think I forgot about your little wine "accident" when we first met._ She grabbed the balled up paper and her bag before winking and taking her leave as well. After unfurling the paper and scanning the words printed on it, she balked. _It really is a banana merchant. How petty can one get? Sheesh._

When she entered the hallway, her companion was nowhere to be seen. Looking around, she spotted them turning a corner all the way at the other end. "Quaestor, wait!" she yelled, hurrying to run down the hall and catch up. Even when she did, she found it difficult to match the brisk pace they set with their long strides. A frustrated huff of their name seemed to catch their attention, and they slowed once they noticed she'd been falling behind. Valdemar hailed a carriage to take to the docks, and they sat in uncomfortable silence. Rather than dwelling on it, Gemini's attention shifted to the low rumbling in her stomach that begged her to eat something.

Eventually, they arrived to see the morning activity just picking up—merchants set up shop nearby, crewmen loaded cargo onto waiting ships, and travelers began to mill about. The two of them adopted a meandering pace, Gemini scanning each of the docked vessels for a name matching the one on their merchant's schedule. They made it all the way to the end without finding it, however, and the embers of agitation ignited a slow burn within her. Travel to the capital city of Prakra took at least a day and a half, provided that the winds were good. If they had to return to the palace and delay their arrival—when _the queen_ was expecting them—because of Valerius's strange vendetta against them, oh, she was going to let him have it. Judging from Valdemar's heavy sigh, they felt the same way. Just as she started to formulate creative ways to rip him apart verbally, a somewhat smaller ship sailed into the bay, headed for the last empty dock. Luckily for Valerius, this turned out to be the ship they were looking for.

As soon as the gangway was let down, a tall, thin man hurried off with a sealed crate in his arms. Gemini and Valdemar shared a glance before starting to board. A rotund man approached to disembark as well, but stopped and broke into a wide smile when he saw them. "'Lo!" he called, waving jovially. "Ya must be them Vesuvian court members we're takin' to Prakra!"

"Yes," Gemini said, feeling a little foolish since she only had a schedule to present him with as verification. "I can show you my seal if needed, just let me—"

She was interrupted by the man's laughter. "Bah, I don't need nothin' like that. Ya look the way the Consul described, though I have to say yer a bit better lookin' than he let on." He beamed innocently while Gemini made a note to replace Valerius's shampoo with orange hair dye when she returned. "Come on, I'll show ya 'round. Name's Murphy, by the way." Gemini introduced them both when Valdemar remained silent, after which Murphy proceeded to take them on a tour of the ship. She listened with rapt attention; it wasn't as large as the luxury ships in the Vesuvian fleet, but she could tell it would be a comfortable trip even with all the boxes of fruit. At the end of his spiel, Murphy led the two of them towards some rooms below deck. "Now, there're two cabins here, but my partner an' I share one so the two of ya will have to share the other one to relax in."

 _Ugh, fantastic._ Gemini sighed and nodded, resigning herself to the fact that she was going to have more one-on-one time with Valdemar whether she liked it or not. No matter—she could handle them for a day. "Ah," he continued, "Willam said he still needed to straighten up the room a bit, so wait 'til he gets back to go in." It was Valdemar's turn to sigh, their annoyed expression plain as day even though half of their face was covered.

Murphy explained that they were running behind and he needed to get some supplies, so they had time if there was anything they wanted to do before they set sail. After he disappeared, Gemini announced that she was going to grab breakfast and headed back to the pier. Wandering, she let her nose guide her to a familiar scent. She smiled when she recognized Selasi's young assistant hawking baked goods, the pumpkin bread she liked particularly enticing. Warm bread in hand, she went back to the ship to find Valdemar on their way off the pier. "Where are you off to?" she asked around a mouthful of food.

She gave them points for trying to hide their disgust; she blushed and swallowed the bite as they replied. "I was just going to take a stroll; the round one has returned, but the skinny one has not."

With a short nod, she gave them a one-armed shrug. "Well, don't get left," she said before moving past them to sit on the edge of the pier. Carefully, she placed her bread next to her and pulled off her over-the-knee boots. It would be annoying to put them back on, but she wanted to dip her toes in the water while enjoying her breakfast. A dull _thunk_ startled her mid-bite; she glanced to her side to see that Valdemar had placed their trunk a few feet away from her and sat on it. They didn't pay her any attention, instead peering over her to gaze at the rising sun with a faraway look in their eyes. She'd normally try to strike up a conversation, but she figured she would leave them be this time. It was more than enough for her to eat her bread in silence that, for once, didn't seem awkward.

They stayed that way for several minutes; by the time Willam returned and called for them to get on the ship, Gemini had already polished off her food. Valdemar disappeared below deck as soon as they boarded, and she figured she wouldn't hear much from them throughout the rest of the voyage. She introduced herself to Willam, who was just as friendly as his partner, if not a little quieter and lacking his distinct accent. They got along quite well, spending a while chatting together as the ship departed from the bay. When he learned she was a practicing magician, his eyes lit up and he shared that he had been trying to grow his magical skill without luck. She was welcome to any of his magical books should she get bored on the trip, he offered; they wouldn't arrive in Prakra until well past nightfall.

She guessed that his books would be mostly entry-level concepts that she was too advanced for, but she still followed him to his and Murphy's shared cabin good-naturedly. Her assumptions proved correct as she squatted in front of their small bookcase, trailing her fingers over the familiar spines she recognized from Asra's teachings. One title did catch her eye. "'Get Familiar with Familiars: Finding Your Spiritual Connection,'" she read aloud.

Willam perked up when she turned to look at him sheepishly. "That's a great choice! Even though I'm still not great at magic, it was really helpful for me and I even have my own familiar now! His name is Rex, he's a gecko." He proudly pointed to a terrarium that, sure enough, housed a bright pink gecko.

 _Amazing. Even beginner-level magic users can have familiars!_ Her heart ached in longing. "Well, it sounds like I definitely need to read this then! Thanks for letting me borrow it." They made plans to have lunch together later before parting ways, Willam heading deeper into the ship while Gemini decided to see what Valdemar was up to in the cabin.

They were in the middle of drinking something from a small tube when she opened the door. Immediately, they froze and stared at her with what could only be described as muted panic. She didn't really care about whatever she'd caught them in the middle of, but they clearly did, so of course she had to tease them. "Whatcha got there?" she asked.

Valdemar swallowed, their face twisted in a slight grimace once they started moving again. "None of your business," they said quietly, placing the empty container into a black box and tossing it into their trunk in one fluid motion. Gemini shrugged and slid against the wall to sit cross-legged on the floor, book in hand. They moved to lie down on the bed, closing their eyes momentarily before cracking one back open to gaze at her warily. They stared at each other for a long moment, Valdemar only speaking after Gemini quirked an eyebrow. "Do you get seasick?" _Ah. So it was medicine._

She thought for a moment. "Doesn't seem like it, no."

"Good." They left it at that and went back to ignoring her. She was sure they hated that she'd found out a weakness of theirs, but she ate it up like a starved procurator gone rogue at a banquet. For someone who seemed as put-together as Valdemar did, they had a surprisingly mundane trait like that. It humanized them somewhat, which Gemini found immensely satisfying. Any new knowledge about them was appealing to her; since they didn't get close with anyone, they remained largely a mystery. She supposed it was that mysteriousness that drew her to them outside of their unique physicality. It intrigued her intellectually, but she also found it attractive… just a little.

She turned her thoughts away from them and onto the first page of Willam's book. Settling into her spot on the floor, she quickly became engrossed with it. Despite Asra telling her to be patient, she really wanted a connection of her own. Both the constant companionship and the benefit of being better able to channel her magical ability were tantalizing. She eventually slipped into a daydream where she imagined what kind of animal her familiar would be—a badger? A deer? What about a puppy? Oh, she hoped it was a puppy; she loved dogs and wanted a big, soft best friend of her own one day. Different name ideas for her familiar floated through her head before the faint ring of a bell brought her back to the present. Glancing at the clock on the nightstand, she saw it was time for lunch. She unfortunately struggled to recall what she had just read beyond the daydreams it inspired, but she nevertheless remained hopeful that it helped her in some way.

After they ate, Willam sent her back with some blankets and a pillow once she mentioned that Valdemar had taken over the bed. When she returned, she noticed that they hadn't moved at all in her absence. Their long legs just barely fit on the bed, and their chest rose and fell slowly. _Are they asleep? I didn't think they slept._ Stealthily, she crept closer until she stood over them and examined their peaceful expression. The abruptness with which they opened their eyes interrupted her internal debate about whether she should tickle them with something or not. _Well, that answers that._

"Yes?" they asked impatiently.

Gemini coughed to hide the fact that she'd been up to no good. "You alright?"

They merely gave an annoyed shake of their head and wordlessly closed their eyes again. Shrugging, she turned away from them to kneel in her previous spot on the floor. The warm blanket proved helpful in cozying up the space for her to relax in. She briefly mused at how Portia might have compared her to Pepi with the way she stretched out languidly before curling up in her makeshift bed; the thought made her chuckle to herself quietly before she fell into a light slumber.

#

Gemini awoke to a foot gently, yet insistently, nudging her awake. She sat up, bewildered. "Get up," Valdemar said. When she blinked up at them, she noticed their hands gripping the straps of the trunk on their back. The gentle rocking of the ship was also absent. Once she looked coherent, Valdemar turned and left the room first. She hurried to follow, quickly gathering up all of her borrowed items and heading above deck. The sun was nowhere to be found, the sky instead dotted by twinkling stars. Willam held a lantern to light their path as they navigated down the gangway and stopped to stand near Murphy, who was busy securing the ship to the dock.

Willam took the bedding and the book from Gemini's arms before he explained that he and Murphy were headed to a nearby village, so this was where they parted ways. He paused to point out the inn she and Valdemar were to stay in that night as well. Murphy clapped Gemini on the back while Valdemar started walking in that direction. She shook her head and looked at him apologetically.

"Don't mind the Quaestor," she said. "They aren't really a people person."

Murphy just laughed. "Well, I figured that!" Willam came to stand next to them as he smiled at her. "Now you be careful and have safe travels Gemini, ya hear?" She nodded and thanked them for the ride, jogging to catch up with Valdemar once again. Lampposts guided their way up the steps and deeper into the sleepy town. Everyone seemed to have already gone to bed for the night if the storefronts with closed signs and darkened windows were anything to go by. Within minutes, they were opening the doors to the inn. A young woman looked up attentively as they walked in, and Valdemar wasted no time telling her they were members of the Vesuvian court with prior arrangements there. She promptly grabbed a keyring that hung on the wall and led them to their rooms, Valdemar entering theirs and closing the door without so much as a goodnight. Gemini found herself muttering another apology on their behalf, but the innkeeper waved it off.

"We've already served dinner for the evening, but there should be some leftovers if you'd like?" she offered. Gemini accepted, informing her that her companion wouldn't need any. The innkeeper showed her to a quaint dining room with a long table and accompanying chairs, telling her it would be just a few moments. Gemini's mouth was already watering at the lingering scent of spices and other rich, earthy aromas. Soon enough, the innkeeper came back with a couple of dishes she had never seen before, each of which was described to her; there was fried eggplant and curry made with mashed green banana. She sampled each one thoughtfully, more and more delighted with each new flavor. Before she could say her thanks for the meal, the innkeeper returned with a serving of lentils and another new dish, spiced potatoes cooked with chili and turmeric. As her clean dishes were whisked away, Gemini figured there was more food coming and settled in for the ride. Being a "potato gal," as she often described her food preferences, she tucked into that dish first and thought she might need to ask for the recipe, it was so good. She noticed the young woman watching her from the open window leading to the kitchen area, and she grinned at seeing the satisfied smile on her face. Once more, the innkeeper returned to replace the previous course with the next, and this looked to be the last—split green gram with fish head, she said it was. Gemini closed her eyes in bliss as she chewed, deciding that she needed to visit Prakra more often if the food was going to be _that_ delicious. When she was offered dessert, she of course accepted; while she may have been getting full, she was no quitter. She was not disappointed when she was presented with ball-shaped dumplings, an explosion of syrupy-sweet goodness coating her tongue once she bit into them. After polishing them off, she stretched out over the table and wondered what she had done to deserve such a fantastic meal. The innkeeper patted her back with a knowing look in her eye before leaving, calling out that a bath would be waiting for her when she was ready. She spent a few heavenly minutes reveling in the feeling of being well-fed, telling herself to remember to ask about the recipe for that dessert. Only once she felt she could do so without waddling did she get up and leave the room.

As she sank into the warm bath, her thoughts landed on the day ahead of her the next morning. Although she was not looking forward to being in an enclosed space with Valdemar for an awkward half-day, it was a small comfort that she wouldn't have to be so on guard once they went their separate ways. In her mind, she should have been more worried about putting her best self forward in front of the queen; she knew she was Nadia's mother, but she'd never actually spoken to her before. Queen Nasrin was a woman whose presence was both intimidating and commanding of respect. Even with that pressure, she was practically vibrating with excitement that she was finally going to begin her investigation into the mysterious absentee magician. Speaking of mysterious…

Gemini slid down further into the tub, exhaling deeply. Valdemar lived rent-free in her mind, but she honestly couldn't help it, she reasoned with herself. _How often do I have the chance to be alone with them and pick their brain?_ When she really considered it, she didn't know much about them. They had a penchant for death and a malicious streak when one was on the wrong side of something they wanted, and they were also the head physician at the palace during the plague. That was already most of what she knew about them. Asra had suspected they were trying to become Death, but after the Devil was sealed away she noticed Death's presence seemed as strong as the other Major Arcana when she consulted the cards. She was genuinely curious to learn more about them, even outside of her crush. Maybe if they were able to become friends—as much as Valdemar would allow something resembling friendship—her feelings would go away.

Mind made up, she finished washing and got dressed. She prepared her room for when she was ready to turn in and mustered the courage to knock on Valdemar's door. They called for her to enter, so she did; Valdemar was sitting in an armchair, jotting something down in a notebook. Briefly, they glanced up at her before returning to their work.

"Magician," they said without inflection. The switch from calling her "apprentice" didn't go unnoticed, teasing out a smile from her.

"Hey," she replied, leaning against the door frame. "What are you up to?"

"Work."

"Let's go for a walk."

At that, they stopped writing and lifted their head to look at her fully. "A walk? You and I?"

"Yeah." Gemini was rapidly losing confidence, but she was determined not to let it show, so she flashed them a friendly grin. They smiled in return and cocked their head to the side.

"Hmmm? Why?"

She shrugged. "To talk. And to get some fresh air. We were cooped up in the ship all day, after all."

They appeared not to have been convinced; they returned their attention to their notebook and resumed their scribbling. "I'm busy."

Sucking her teeth, she countered, "You don't sleep, right?"

"How observant of you. No, I don't."

"Then can't you do that later?"

"Yes." More scratching noises filled the room as they continued writing without further comment.

Sighing, she stepped inside further. "C'mon, humor me! We'll be out of each other's hair tomorrow. Don't you think you should take more of an interest in your colleagues?"

They laughed heartily, throwing their head back and placing a hand on their chest. "I am very much above being scolded by you, especially over something as ephemeral as human relationships."

Without realizing it, her lips puckered in a slight pout. "I didn't mean it like that…" she trailed off quietly.

Valdemar ceased their laughter abruptly, their eyebrows knitting and mouth frowning as they observed her for a moment. "What are you doing with your face?"

"What?"

"Stop that."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Sorry?" She was so caught off guard, she apologized without thinking. Valdemar's expression evened out again and they looked away, thinking. Gemini shifted on her feet uncomfortably while she waited for them to either press her for her reasoning or shoo her out. Their roaming eyes returning to study her face set her cheeks ablaze, and she held their gaze in an attempt to distract them from noticing should they stare a little too closely. Finally, they closed their notebook and stood.

"Fine. Let's go." Their expression was neutral, so she wasn't really sure if she should be excited or not but decided to celebrate internally anyway. Gemini let the innkeeper know they would be back soon as she led the way outside, heart beating a mile a minute. They fell into step beside each other at an easy pace, at first saying nothing. She slid her hands into her pockets, sneaking glances at them; Valdemar held theirs behind their back and walked with their chin slightly upturned, looking the opposite direction towards the sea.

_Okay, I didn't think I would get this far. Now what?_

She thought for a moment; one other thing she did know about them by now was that they loathed small talk. Given that, she figured the straightforward approach would be best.

"I'll be honest," she said. "I'm curious about you, Quaestor." At that, they did turn to look at her with interest but didn't say anything. "I feel like I have a pretty good understanding of the other courtiers, but you remain a mystery."

Valdemar chuckled. "Have you considered that this is intentional?"

"Maybe so, but I'm not deterred." They made a thoughtful sound and fell silent again. "I want to get to know you better."

"And tell me, magician, how do you plan to do that?"

Challenges generally seemed to work with them, so she tried it. "If I ask you questions, will you answer?"

They hummed, giving her a sidelong glance that sent shivers down her spine. "Why don't you ask and find out?"

Gemini let out a short laugh, turning away to give herself a chance to refocus. _Stupid sexy Quaestor_. Their response was mostly innocent and she knew it, but her attraction to them was undermining her attempts to keep cool and making her overreact to every little thing they did. She both hated and liked it.

"Okay," she replied. "I can ask anything?"

"You most certainly can."

Knowing she was unlikely to get a meaningful response, she decided to go deep out of the gate just to see what they'd say. "Tell me about your dreams and aspirations."

To her delight, they looked astounded for a short moment, apparently not anticipating that. Too quickly for her tastes, they returned to their typical emotionless expression. "That was not a question."

Gemini bit her lip to keep from laughing at them. "What are your dreams and aspirations?"

"A bit personal, isn't it?"

"Will you continue to answer my questions with more questions?"

"Can't I? It's my right."

"It certainly is." It was too fun, so she threw out a couple more questions of increasing levels of intimacy while being mindful not to cross the line. They volleyed back with more evasive questions, obviously not intending to participate seriously. The last few questions seemed to strike a nerve, though. She learned that probing questions about their humanity—or lack thereof—were most off-limits.

She eventually relented. "Alright, I get it. Answer me this, then; what have you really been up to since Lucio died for good?"

They stroked their chin in contemplation before answering. "What I have been 'up to,' hm? Nothing in particular."

Waiting a moment for more information yielded no results; that was really their full response. "That's all?"

"Well, I must admit that I'm quite bored with no plague. I have to occupy myself somehow."

"Which is…?"

They stopped walking, stepping in front of her to halt her steps as well. "Do you really want to know?"

Her response was immediate. "Yes."

Valdemar tilted their head to the side as they examined her. Slowly, they returned to their original spot by her side and continued walking, Gemini trailing behind. "I will say this. Research is a critical part of my work these days, so I have been branching out into some medical areas I have yet to study. It was only recently that I got into medicine." Their sharp teeth glinted in the moonlight as they elaborated. "Well, recent for me. Most of this was not even a thought at that time." They gestured at the land around them to illustrate their point.

Gemini was pleasantly surprised that they volunteered this new information. From her perspective, she was allowed to be a little easy to please given how tight-lipped they were about themselves. They seemed to realize this as well; immediately, they clammed up again even though it seemed they had more to say. She took the furrow in their brow to mean that somehow, someway, she was starting to wear them down. Valdemar began guiding their stroll back in the direction of the inn, and she let them as she weighed her next question. It was risky, but she wanted to know.

"Next question—"

"Are you not bored yet, magician?" She could hear the exasperation in their voice.

"Nope. But this one's easy, I promise." Raised eyebrows told her they had doubts. "What do you think of me?"

That seemed to cheer them up. "I don't." She tsked. She was indeed expecting an answer like that, but she didn't have to be happy about it. Their next sentence had her ears perking up. "Oh, but that body of yours is a different story. You know how I feel about it."

 _You want to get your hands on it?_ She really, _really_ wanted to see their reaction if she said that, but she thought it best not to press her luck. "It's attractive?" she questioned instead.

Their eyebrows twitched, which she enjoyed. "Your wording is dubious, but yes, scientifically speaking."

As the inn came back in sight, embarrassment washed over her at her slight disappointment. All she wanted to do was flirt with them a little more, but she knew it was a hopeless endeavor. "Answer me one last thing."

They looked down at her, tired. "You don't know when to quit, do you? What a bothersome quirk."

Unfazed, she tapped her lips. "You're not wearing your mask. Why? I thought you couldn't handle the air aboveground."

They relaxed a bit, grinning. "It is not that I 'can't handle it,' magician, I just abhor how it smells. Humans are so filthy, they find a way to stink up everything. However…" They paused to take a deep breath, closing their eyes and exhaling in contentment. "Prakra is different."

 _Different how?_ When they looked back down at her puzzled expression with a surprisingly mischievous grin, she realized she'd said that aloud. "Now, that is all you will be getting from me, little magician," they added. "I hope you are satisfied." She wasn't, but she could live with what little crumbs of information she did get from them. If given more time, she wondered, would they be able to grow any closer…?

Gemini bit the inside of her cheek. No, it was best to return to normal once they were back in Vesuvia. To go back to only interacting when necessary; her schoolgirl crush would fade with time. All the same, she was glad she got to talk to them more that evening even if it ended up being mostly inconsequential.

She was so lost in her thoughts, she didn't even notice what was happening when Valdemar's weight on her side had her veering off the path to the inn's front steps. They had already pushed her against the side of the building by the time she snapped out of it. She stood pinned between their hands planted against the wall on either side of her head, face blank as she looked up at them in shock.

"A little comfortable with me, are we?" said Valdemar, their voice adopting the icy tone that rooted her in place each time she heard it. They lifted a single digit to trail down her jawline with a featherlight touch before spreading their fingers to rest around her throat. No pressure was applied, but Gemini understood the intended threat. "A word of advice: you should take care to be more mindful of whom you concern yourself with."

She asked herself what it said about her that she found her current position more thrilling than dangerous; the question remained unanswered. Not one to be intimidated, she held firm in staring right back at them. "It seems like _you're_ the one who's comfortable with _me_." That last word was punctuated by her pointing a finger in their chest, taking advantage of their incredulity to advance on them and push them back. "I'm not scared of you, Quaestor Valdemar. You and I both know you were weakened by the Devil being taken out of the picture."

"You think you're special, having done that?" It looked like they didn't intend to back down, either. "I could have done the same myself. I was using him—it was a mutually beneficial arrangement, don't misunderstand." They batted her hand away but smiled widely. "Though, I will admit it was impressive for you, a lowly human. That only proves my point."

"Don't you think that if I was able to beat him, then I could just as well beat you? Despite your original plans, you don't have the power of a Major Arcana." It was they who shouldn't misunderstand; she may have been attracted to them, but she wouldn't hesitate to protect herself if she felt the slightest bit threatened. Whether she rationally _should_ have felt that way by now or not was another discussion, but the point still stood in her mind.

Their smile wavered only momentarily before they barked out a laugh, backing away from her. "Do not say such dangerous things, magician. It would be unwise of you to challenge me any further than you already have." With that, they walked away and entered the inn, the door swinging shut behind them.

As they left, they took her adrenaline with them—it came out all at once as she exhaled and sagged against the wall. For the second time within the span of a couple days, Valdemar left her truly stumped by their actions. They could press her as much as they liked, she really wasn't afraid of them. The only thing that would make her withdraw was her actual fear, represented by the fierce pace they managed to work her heart into every time they got close like that. She pressed her hand to her chest, screwing her eyes shut to calm down. _I need to pump the fucking brakes… This is all moot, anyway._ With the next day came the promise of the two of them splitting to do their respective jobs; as much as she was drawn in deeper the more she spent time with them, it was for the best to just let things be. She wouldn't be able to help herself if this continued, so she willed herself to be grateful that wasn't in the cards for them. When she was certain she would be steady on her feet, she pushed off the wall and headed inside to get ready for bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I was doing chapter titles, this one would have been "Stupid Sexy Quaestor."


	5. Chapter 5

In the morning, a royal Prakran carriage arrived to collect them as promised. It was enchanted and one of Prakra's many displays of technological advancement in the realm of magic. This made it possible to travel between the capital city and the sea within half a day rather than the week it would normally take by regular means. Gemini had to keep reminding herself that no, she should not stick her head out of the window as they traveled—windswept hair didn't quite go with her uniform. Valdemar seemed determined not to pay her any mind and kept their nose buried firmly in a book for the entire ride. They didn't lift their head even when the light started to fade as dusk fell. Idly, she speculated as to whether they could actually see or if they were _that_ intent on ignoring her.

The Prakran palace was an impressive structure that dwarfed Vesuvia's. Beyond the main building, a mini-village that must have been the royal living quarters was set on one side, and on the other, there appeared to be a small farm. Gemini didn't have time to take in everything else since the guards quickly ushered them inside. Servants arrived to take their bags as soon as they entered, and a tall older woman stepped forward to introduce herself as the head servant.

"Queen Nasrin welcomes you both to Prakra," she stated. "While she understands your journey was long and you may need rest, dinner will be ready shortly and she requires your presence. It is at this dinner that she will address each of you." Gemini nodded gratefully. She didn't have the chance to eat breakfast before the carriage arrived, so she'd been subsisting off a banana that she'd gotten from her new friends yesterday. The servant went on to offer them a tour of the palace—Valdemar politely accepted, and she was about to follow when a shock of blue popped out from behind the servant.

"Hello, my love," Natiqa said, grinning with her usual mischief. Startled, the servant bowed to her. "'Scuse me, I'm just gonna steal this cutie here." _Yes! My hero!_ Gemini wanted to start distancing herself from Valdemar as soon as possible, and she was sure the feeling was mutual.

Meanwhile, the servant was sputtering. "But, Your Highness—!"

Natiqa gave her a pleading look. "Come on. I'm supposed to be at that dinner too, I'll make sure Gemini is there!"

Wringing her hands, the servant conceded with a bow and disappeared with Valdemar after casting a worried look back. Once they were gone, Gemini smiled at Natiqa.

"Okay, one: thank you," she said. "Two: you now owe me a tour."

Natiqa grabbed her hand and began leading her down the hall. "That can be arranged… later, though. Meanwhile." She stopped to suggestively wiggle her eyebrows at Gemini. "So you've been traveling with you-know-who." Gemini shot her a death glare while she burst into a fit of giggles.

"Don't you say a word more," she whispered, looking around furtively to make sure the topic of discussion wasn't still nearby. A particularly inviting door caught her eye, and she tugged Natiqa into the room, which turned out to be a study. Only after the door was shut and a preliminary scan ensured they were alone did Gemini let out a deep breath. "Anyway. How are you?"

"Ugh, dreadful." Natiqa fell dramatically into an armchair, and Gemini followed suit. "Diplomacy is highly overrated." She launched into a long retelling of how she had to entertain some Ghalian ambassadors a few days prior and that they were returning soon, to her chagrin. When Gemini got up to stoke the flames in the fireplace, Natiqa seemed to realize how long she had been talking. "Hey now, wait a minute! That's not what I wanted to talk about, you need to spill about the Quaestor."

Gemini sighed, knowing all too well she had only delayed the inevitable and returning to her seat. "Alright, first of all, I blame you."

"What did I do?"

"Your wonderful idea to play FMK brought to the forefront of my mind something I really didn't need to be brought there."

Natiqa crossed one dainty leg over the other. "Wait. Valdemi is real?"

Gemini scrunched her face up. "What the fuck—"

"Mmm, I dunno if I ship that." She cackled when Gemini lobbed a decorative pillow at her face.

Gemini shook her head. _Why did I think to confide in her again…?_ "Never in life utter that unholy combination of our names again. Yuck." _Not even I'm that bad._ "But seriously, Tink. I was in real trouble."

Tossing the pillow between her hands, Natiqa cocked her head. "'Was?' What's my fault if it's not an issue anymore?"

Gemini's cape suddenly became very interesting to her as she gathered it into her hands and fiddled with it. "Well, I spent some time last night shamelessly flirting with them." When she caught Natiqa's eye, she saw that she was waiting for her to go on. "And… and every little thing they do drives me crazy, even when they're trying to be an ass."

"Yikes. You've got it bad, huh?"

"Yeah, well. It's fine now because we'll be parting ways today." It had only been a few days and she had learned she was more interested in Valdemar than she thought. The realization was startling for numerous reasons—all of them being "But it's _Quaestor Valdemar_ "—and also confusing, given her still-lingering feelings for Asra. She'd be lying if she said it wasn't messing with her head to be in that sort of predicament. Separating from them would hopefully give her a chance to calm her jets and let her attraction to them die down.

Natiqa pursed her lips. "Why would it be not fine if you didn't have separate things to do?"

Shame rippled through her body as she continued to pick at her cape. "I'd lose reason and keep trying to get closer to them when that's the last thing I need right now, even if they were interested. I'm supposed to be nursing my already vulnerable heart, not teeing it up to get shattered again when things don't pan out." Sure, it was harmless flirting _now,_ but she didn't trust the hopeless romantic in herself to keep it that way. It was easy when she met people with the mutual intent of never becoming more than sex friends, but her relationship with Valdemar was quite different. Aside from that, they merely tolerated her. That wasn't necessarily encouragement to continue with her one-sided interest, especially after their little threat.

She snorted. _Now that I think about it, what was that about? I would imagine they could and would tell me in no uncertain terms to go away, but they instead did… all that. And I'm still not scared, so what now?_ Gemini couldn't put her finger on what they were playing at but didn't have time to dwell on it as Natiqa spoke again.

"What makes you so sure things wouldn't pan out?" She continued speaking, cutting off the beginning of Gemini's objections. "And why do you feel like you need to suffer silently until you get over Asra? You are deserving of love and happiness, even if it's not with him, Gem."

"I know that." Gemini pinched the bridge of her nose. "It would just look like I don't know what I want, thinking about two different people like that at once. Maybe not to you, but it would to me; I feel like it'd cheapen what I feel for Asra, and I don't like that at all." It would also feel like she was pursuing Valdemar half-assedly, and she didn't do anything half-assed, nor did she do rebounds. Finally, on the odd chance that they were in an alternate universe where her feelings could be returned, it wouldn't be fair to them that her attention was still divided.

Natiqa walked over to sit on the arm of Gemini's chair. She stroked her hair, and Gemini relaxed into her touch. "I seriously think you're overthinking it, but I also know you and that you can't help it. I understand where you're coming from, but I just don't want you to let heartbreak get in the way of something new."

"Yeah, well nothing's happening with Valdemar," Gemini mumbled.

Continuing her comforting touches, Natiqa laughed gently. "Only because you two won't let it. When you guys walked in, you had a weird vibe going. It was kinda hot." She held her hands up in surrender when Gemini whipped around to gawk at her. _What is she on about? They were flat out ignoring me and I was grateful for it._ "But hey, what I'm saying applies generally, not just with Valdemar. Don't let your sense of duty to Asra get in the way of you living your life, is all I'm saying."

Gemini frowned. _That's not it at all… is it?_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock, followed by the door opening and the head servant stepping in.

"Sibyl Gemini, Princess Natiqa," she said, looking at the latter with a deadpan expression. "It is time for dinner with the queen."

Natiqa at least looked sheepish. "Oops. Well we're not late, right?"

"Only because my intuition and knowledge of your ways told me to come back here."

"Hey!" Gemini chortled at the way Natiqa's cheap defenses fell on uninterested ears as the servant led them to the dining hall, Valdemar trailing behind quietly. Unable to help herself, she snuck a glance back to see them looking around the palace as they walked, uncharacteristic wonder in their expression.

At last, they arrived at two great oak doors, men positioned at the handle of each. Gemini sucked in a breath as they held the doors open to a dining hall even grander than the one in the Vesuvian palace. All of the princesses sat at the large circular dining table, with Queen Nasrin and the royal consort, Namar, seated in the middle of them. It was hard not to be taken by the sight of the queen with the grandiosity of her presence—even though she wasn't actively looking for it, Gemini could sense a powerful magical aura emanating from her. The flowing robes draped over her form and golden headpiece reminiscent of a halo only added to her impact. She sat sporting an elegant grin and raised her gold-laden arms in welcome.

"Sibyl Gemini, Quaestor Valdemar," her voice boomed. It held a richness and warmth that worked to calm Gemini's nerves despite the long-awaited meeting being upon her. Valdemar bent in a graceful bow, and Gemini quickly followed. "The royal family of Prakra welcomes you. We are so very glad you could make it, and give you our thanks." Upon a glance in their direction, servants that had been standing off to the side rushed forward to usher the two newcomers into their seats. Natiqa had already hurried into her place next to Navra at some point during Gemini's trance. After they were seated, the smell of herbs and spices wafted into the room as servants started plating the first course. However, even the promise of a delicious meal wasn't enough to tear Gemini's attention from their host.

"I thought it would be nice to chat over an exquisite cuisine rather than have a more formal meeting in the throne room," Nasrin continued. "I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all, Your Majesty," Gemini said. "It is an honor to have an audience with you." At that, Nasrin smiled and gestured to the food in front of them. Over small bites, she engaged her and Valdemar in small talk about their travel to the palace; no one else spoke for the duration of the dinner, adding a heavy undercurrent to the light chatter. She hadn't forgotten, but Gemini was reminded of the gravity of the circumstance behind her visit.

Once the remnants of the final course were taken away, Nasrin's expression sobered. "Well, let us not delay any further." Gemini nodded and clasped her hands together tightly in her lap. "I am sure Dia enlightened you as to the basics of my request." After a brief pause, Nasrin raised her eyebrows expectantly, sending Gemini stumbling to answer in the affirmative. "We have exhausted every resource to capture this man, but to no avail. He has eluded the most experienced and skilled of my forces, and I simply cannot let this continue. When it became clear that no ordinary person could solve this matter, the magician my daughter spoke so highly of immediately came to mind." Gemini's cheeks burned at the compliment.

"It is with a heavy heart that I ask for your assistance bringing my royal magician in to me so that he may be brought to justice for his treasonous actions." Nasrin's eyes shift away, prompting Gemini's to follow. It is at this moment that she noticed Nasmira for the first time that evening. The usually bright princess seemed to have wilted; she was staring at the table, subdued and shoulders slumped. Even more shocking than her despondence was the bandage wrapped around her head and the eyepatch over her eye. Gemini exhaled heavily at the sight—actually seeing the damage that had been done made it all more real.

Swallowing, she turned to look back at the queen. "I will find him for you. What else do I need to know about him?"

"Excellent." Nasrin smiled and glanced at a servant, nodding them over. He stepped forward and produced a sketch of a man with shaggy black hair and piercing almond-shaped eyes. "His name is Fugue—I am afraid we do not know his family name or much about his background." She grimaced, not unlike Nadia's expressions of disdain. "It was the idea of one of my daughters to bring him to the palace three years ago, and we foolishly failed to look into him much more than that since she is usually a good judge of character. What we do know is that he has significant magical ability and is one who practices dark magic. That is how he injured Nasmira, using that cursed—and highly illegal—form." Gemini's eyes picked up on how Nasmira tensed at her mother's words, but she otherwise didn't react. Taking the sketch gingerly, she ran a finger over the lines of the drawing and committed it to memory. She would have this man pay for what he's done— _if_ the truth was as they said. This wasn't her first seemingly open-and-shut case; she didn't like Nasmira's silence, and dark magic being a factor could prove to be a curveball. Whatever the truth behind this case may be, she would find it and bring it to light. For now, though, she needed to start with the information she was given.

"I'd like to examine his quarters," she said. "Can that be arranged?"

"Yes, but you will begin your investigation tomorrow. I will have you well-rested before you start. We have, of course, thoroughly investigated his belongings already, so I hope a fresh set of eyes will yield new results." They discussed that the room would be unlocked and ready for Gemini in the morning and that she would communicate any major updates in her investigation to Nasrin as they happened. With a satisfied clap of her hands, she stood as everyone turned to face her. "Thank you all for attending this evening. Does anyone have anything to add before we retire?"

A soft clearing of the throat disrupted the ensuing silence. "Your Majesty," Valdemar said. "I understand that there is medical research being conducted at the palace. I was told I was invited to participate in the study of an emerging disease in this region."

Nasrin smiled at them with vacant eyes, and Gemini could see the wheels turning in her head. After a moment, she chuckled and looked around at everyone, arms spread. "Who said that? It was not me."

Nafizah, who had appeared zoned out throughout the entire evening, perked up. "Mother, I told Dia about our head physician's request for more experienced staff to assist with his new project," she said. "She offered to lend us Quaestor Valdemar's time and expertise."

A glimmer of recognition lit up Nasrin's eyes. "Ah, so that is why you are here, Quaestor. I wondered, but assumed Dia wanted to have you accompany the Sibyl for some reason." Her expression turned apologetic. "I am sorry, but that request was fulfilled once I was made aware of it. We have no space for you to join the research team, we have everything we need and it has already begun." Valdemar's wide, unblinking eyes fell to the table. Gemini bit her lip to suppress a snicker. She did feel bad for them, coming all this way for nothing. _It's a little funny. Just a tiny bit._ Smugly, she reckoned that they deserved this for getting so high and mighty with her the previous night. "I feel terrible about this miscommunication, Quaestor," Nasrin continued. "I shall have you sent back post-haste in the morning. With comfort. I am told you had to travel here on a banana boat?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Their voice was strained when they replied. _Oh, they are hopping mad._ Gemini grinned widely when they lifted their head to glower at Nafizah once Nasrin's back was turned. _Tsk. They just can't help themselves, can they?_ She caught Namar's gaze while he stood to follow his wife with his eyebrows raised.

Nasrin dismissed everyone else just as she entered the hallway with a bevy of servants trailing after them. On her way out, Natiqa squeezed Gemini's shoulder and gave her an encouraging grin. Gemini smiled back, then turned to take in the sight of Valdemar silently fuming across from her. She was contemplating gloating to them when a shadow fell over her. To her surprise, Nasmira stood over her.

"Sibyl," she whispered, glancing quickly at Valdemar. "A word, please. You come too, Quaestor." She'd spoken quietly, but Valdemar lifted their head at her call. With one last look at the pair, she hurried out of the room.

Gemini and Valdemar stared at each other, now alone. Finally, she stood and fixed them with a stern gaze. "Don't even think about skipping out on this. Come on." With that, she turned to follow Nasmira. _I don't know what she wants to talk to_ both _of us about, but I'll be damned if I let them kick up a fuss._ Her shoulders relaxed a bit when she heard footsteps behind her. Nasmira led them down winding hallways until they arrived at an unoccupied drawing room. Gemini and Valdemar filed inside, and Nasmira closed the door behind them. Nasmira perched atop the arm of a chair while the other two slid into a loveseat opposite her. It was quiet while she examined her twiddling fingers, and Gemini shared a quizzical look with Valdemar until Nasmira finally spoke.

"What they have said about him, it's not true." Smoothing her skirts, Nasmira looked up at both of them and set her jaw. "Fugue is not a bad man. I just know he isn't. There is more to this story."

Gemini blew out the breath she'd been holding harshly. She figured Nasmira would know something—her silence was too suspicious. "What do you know, Your Highness?" she asked.

"I trust you, Gemini," Nasmira replied. She stared at Valdemar for a long moment before looking away; Gemini glanced to her side to see them actually looking at Nasmira with interest. "I will tell you what I couldn't tell my family." She paused to inhale deeply, breathing out slowly before she continued. "The truth is, Fugue and I… we were in love."

Gemini sat back in her seat, bracing herself for the rest.

"Soon after he arrived at the palace, we developed a friendship. We became inseparable, growing closer until that bond developed into something more. One of the ways we spent our days together was when he gave me magic lessons. I had always wanted to learn, so it was my idea. I asked him to teach me—he refused initially, knowing _maa_ would disapprove, but I was stubborn. So he relented, and we practiced in secret in a clearing I found in a nearby forest.

"One day, he was teaching me as normal. I had just mastered a spell that had been hindering my progress for the past week—he looked so proud. But then I heard something snap in the forest; we were not alone. Before I could say anything to Fugue, a great burst of magic exploded between us and knocked me off my feet. My senses were hazy for a moment, but I soon was able to distinguish the sound of spells flying back and forth, then Fugue calling my name amidst the shouting of unfamiliar men. I caught a glimpse of three figures clad in blue robes before Fugue was over me. He looked mortified… I hadn't even noticed yet that I couldn't see out of one eye. I tried to look around him, but the figures were already gone.

"He started casting a reversal spell on me; he said something about how he was undoing something they did to me. I'm not sure, but I think it was dark magic. He was apologizing over and over, saying everything would be okay and that he would fix it. Once I was able to sit up, he made me swear not to breathe a word of what I had seen to anyone, especially not my family. I didn't understand, but I promised, and he vanished from my sight just as the royal guards burst into the clearing." Nasmira let out a shaky breath, her uninjured eye shining. "That is the truth of what happened."

Speechless, Gemini tipped her head to loll over the back of the loveseat and began to digest everything she had just heard. As she thought, there was more to this case than met the eye. _Where did Fugue run off to? Why is he running? Who were those people that attacked them?_

"Gemini," Nasmira said with urgency, and Gemini snapped her attention back to her. "You must believe me. He didn't hurt me. _They_ did this to me."

"Who are they?" Gemini asked.

"I don't know, I don't know what Fugue's into, I just know it's bad. All I can tell you about them is that they are dangerous, so I need you to find him and bring him back safely. I swore an oath to him, only he can tell the truth and clear his name. They wouldn't believe me by now, anyway." She twisted her skirts in her hands. "He is only running to protect us, he would never hurt me. You must find him, Gemini, before he destroys himself trying to run from his past. He can't do this alone!" When she shut her eye, the tears began to spill over. "Please."

Gemini crossed the room and knelt in front of her, taking Nasmira's hand in her own. "You have my word, Your Highness. I believe you. I'll do everything I can." It would be difficult with what little information she had, but she appreciated Nasmira coming clean to her since she now knew the real threat was those mysterious people. And everything else Fugue had been hiding from the palace. Hopefully, his room would yield more clues.

Nasmira nodded and wiped her face with her free hand. "Thank you. Whoever they are, they are a force to be reckoned with, so please be careful."

Before Gemini could reply, Valdemar sighed. Loudly. "Well, that was something," they said. When she turned to glare at them, they were drumming their fingers on the arm of the sofa. "However, it seems the Satrinava family has a penchant for making me listen to useless things before they divulge what they have summoned me for. So. I must ask that you get on with it, Your Highness. I implore you."

Gemini took a single step toward them before being stopped by Nasmira's hand on her shoulder. "No, it's alright," she said to her before turning to Valdemar. "I wanted you to hear this as well because you will go with her."

Immediately, they both had objections. Nasmira held up a hand and Gemini quieted, but Valdemar continued. "Well, I am certainly not! What gave you that idea?"

Slowly, Nasmira said, "As I mentioned, these people pose a great threat. Gemini could use all the help she can get; I just want to make sure she comes back alive as well."

"But Your Highness, I can take care of myself!" Gemini said, adjusting her tone once she realized how desperate she sounded. She could not spend any more time with them. "Let me handle this."

"That aside, I am merely a doctor!" Valdemar added. "What is it you think I am going to do? Surely you are not suggesting I tag along to stitch up the Sibyl's wounds should she get hurt?"

Nasmira looked at them sharply and stepped closer, her next words spoken barely above a whisper. "I know what you are."

Valdemar blinked at her, pausing before their eyes crinkled in what Gemini knew was a threatening smirk underneath their mask. "Ohhhh? And what am I?"

"Careful, Your Highness." It was Gemini's turn to hold Nasmira back; she steeled her gaze but nevertheless stood behind Gemini.

"I heard Nafizah discussing it with Nazali. She has special eyes, and she knew there was something… otherworldly about you. Whatever sinister power it is you hold, you must use it for good and help her with this." Perhaps sensing their next question, she continued. "If you do, I will see to it that Prakra funds your medical experiments and research for the next two years, no matter the cost. No questions asked."

"Your Highness!" Gemini blurted, but she was ignored.

"However, if you return without Gemini and we have _any_ inkling that you did not do everything in your power to help her, this family will make your life a living hell. Running will not save you either, with all of the other people who would be out for your head."

Valdemar stood and paced, growling to themselves as they did. Gemini anxiously looked between them both until they stood still. Eventually, they faced the two women with a furrowed brow. " _Fine_ ," they sneered before storming out of the room. Nasmira leaned against Gemini after they left.

"Your Highness? Are you alright?" Gemini helped her sit back down on the armchair and fussed over her. Nasmira shivered.

"I am; they just give me chills. They are scary, aren't they?"

Satisfied, Gemini laughed. "They can be."

Nasmira flagged down a passing servant and instructed him to take Gemini to her room. Gemini bid her goodnight and followed him while her mind replayed Nasmira's story over and over again. It was a sweet story at first glance; the noble young man rushing off to protect the woman he loved and her family. However, the wild card of the blue-clad strangers worried her more than she let on. Begrudgingly, she admitted to herself that having some backup wouldn't hurt given the nature of this group. If they were powerful enough to send a magician as strong as she'd been told Fugue was running for the hills, she might have her hands full.

With a sweep of his hand, the servant gestured to her room and told her to call on them if she needed anything. She nodded and made to place her hand on the doorknob when the door behind her flew open. Jumping, she whirled around to see Valdemar standing in the doorway with an unreadable expression. Then, they slowly moved to the side and jerked their head to beckon her inside.

The servant blushed and scampered off, leaving Gemini frowning. _Why are you blushing!?_ She walked past them and into their room with caution, keeping her eyes on them the whole time. When they closed the door behind her, she became slightly alarmed.

"Look," she began. "If you're going to lecture me about having you tag along for my investigation, it's out of my—"

"Rest assured, magician," they interjected. "That is not my intent. You are actually quite fortunate to have my assistance in this matter, given my expertise." They sat down at a desk and grinned up at her.

"What relevant expertise is there? You're a demonic void in a meat suit, I hardly see how that's relevant when my objective isn't to frighten anyone." She had too many other thoughts to mind their mood.

They stuck their tongue in their cheek. "So that is all you think of me?" They harrumphed and looked around the room before their eyes settled on the lit candle on the desk. They blew it out and looked back at her, the room now eerily illuminated by moonlight. "Light this candle with your magic."

"Huh?"

"Did I stutter?"

"Quaestor, what is this about?" she sighed. They shrugged and steepled their fingers, nodding at the candle smugly.

Lazily, Gemini lifted a hand and snapped her fingers. She was about to retort with something sarcastic when she noticed that the candle remained unlit. Again, she snapped her fingers. Nothing. Valdemar crossed their arms and tilted their head, clearly enjoying her growing discomfort. Once, twice, thrice more she tried to conjure a flame, a spark, anything to light the candle in front of her. It was a simple spell she'd done a million times before, so why wasn't it working now? She was fully alarmed at this point but refused to give them the satisfaction, so she merely narrowed her eyes.

"What have you done to my magic?" she asked.

They chuckled. "Nothing. I merely canceled your intent to light the candle."

Her blood ran cold. "What do you mean?"

"Just a bit of will manipulation, nothing fancy." _They know magic? But… what kind of magic is that?_ They cackled at the way she bristled. "That will not be particularly helpful to you, however. I have yet to master it so that is the extent of my abilities. Just little things and it is only temporary." Gemini said nothing, but her heartbeat began to calm. "As you may have guessed, I am quite familiar with the dark arts. I specialize in causing afflictions to others, small illusions, and reanimating the dead. You will be glad to know that will manipulation is not a priority for me… for now." She stilled and stared them down as they approached to circle her slowly. "Who do you think was responsible for that delicious spread at the Devil's ritual?" Shuddering, she recalled the true nature of that "food."

"I see," she said finally. Her words earlier were disingenuous; she had imagined they had super-strength or some other demonic perk that might prove useful in the work ahead. The shapeshifting probably wouldn't hurt, either. She never imagined they might be a magic-user as well, never mind dark magic at that. This new knowledge of their abilities was a welcome surprise, as far as she was concerned.

Valdemar stopped their circling and looked down at her. "Not impressed?" Gemini shrugged. "Come." They brushed past her and left the room. In her confusion, she followed obediently. They exited the building through a side door and entered the torchlit garden. As they meandered along the gravel path, Valdemar surveyed the plants. She looked on as they snatched fruits and leaves here and there before they arrived at an open area with a fountain in the middle, similar to the Vesuvian palace garden. "I can do something with this," they mumbled before seizing her hands and shoving their collected items in them.

"Uh, what are you doing?" she dared to ask. Valdemar didn't reply, instead squatting low to draw a circle with complex markings in the earth. When they were done, they turned to her expectantly, and she stepped forward to drop the items in the middle carefully. They traded places and Valdemar tugged down one of their gloves so they could dig in the arm. Shortly after, they produced a small vial of murky liquid that they promptly dumped over the pile in the circle. As they closed their eyes, they bent at the waist with a hand outstretched toward the circle. Gemini planted her hands on her hips and watched, curious. _What are they about to do? Is this a summoning spell?_ She considered that for a moment, then became worried about what it was that they were summoning. "Hey, cut it out. What are you bringing here?"

It was too late. The dirt began to stir, shifting and swirling into a cyclone. A ghastly wail that sounded like a dying animal rang out, and Gemini tensed, ready for anything. When the dirt began to fall away, a beast emerged. It was the deepest black she had ever seen and had glowing red eyes that peered at her soullessly. As its form became clearer to her, she was able to make out what it was.

"A… a horse?" The beast neighed in response, but it sounded off… wrong, somehow. This was no regular horse; its mane was rustled by a breeze that wasn't there, and it otherwise stood unnaturally stock still. _Yeah, I want nothing to do with that._

Valdemar chuckled when she took a step back. "This is all I could do with what was available, but you get the point, I'm sure." Their expression hardened and they moved to stroke the demonic animal's head. "Before, I could summon an army of undead warriors without a single sacrifice or other totems. Now I am subject to some of the normal rules of necromancy and can at most summon two beings." They spoke too low for her to hear what they said after that, but it sounded like something about regaining power. She didn't like the sound of that, but she'd worry about it later. They straightened and, with a swipe of their finger down its snout, the beast disappeared with a shriek that made her wince. Wordlessly, they walked past her and back the way they came.

"I see what you mean now," Gemini said when they didn't say anything, moving to trail after them. _What? No question about what I think about that?_ "So if we run into those people the princess mentioned, I'll leave it to you."

They stared at her blankly. "Leave what to me? All I meant is that you may ask me anything you like about dark magic, I am quite knowledgeable."

"You aren't going to fight? How do you mean to hold up your end of the bargain you just made?"

Their laughter echoed in the halls as they stepped back inside. "Don't be ridiculous. I will aide you with knowledge, but I will not involve myself any more than is required to keep you from death."

 _Of course that's how it is._ "Unbelievable." She shook her head, but she didn't know what else she expected from them. She may as well go alone! Speaking of Nasmira's offer, something piqued her curiosity. "You sure seem to have gotten over that quickly. Being asked to come along, I mean."

"Thinking about what I shall do with my reward made me feel better." _Ugh._

She was in no mood to repeat her actions from last night's stroll and let the silence stretch on until they reached the guest wing. They each entered their rooms without a word of parting and Gemini slid down against her closed door. She stared up at the ceiling for a few hopeless moments before banging her fist on the carpeted floor in frustration. "Fuck!" The fact that she'd gotten the exact opposite of her wishes finally sank in. The promise of their separation gave her comfort, but now she was going to be stuck with someone she didn't know how to act around due to her attraction to them. She didn't think it would affect her work, but it certainly didn't help matters that they'd admitted they would not actively assist her investigation whatsoever.

Despite swearing that she had other things in her personal life to focus on, before she knew it, she always ended up engaging in playful banter with Valdemar. Trying to get to know them better. Finding herself enjoying their conversation. _What the hell am I going to do?_ She took a deep breath and screwed her eyes shut.

They weren't friends. They were coworkers. Her crush meant nothing, was nothing.

She repeated those words as she went through her nighttime routine and crawled into bed _._ A dreamless sleep awaited her as she tried her best to convince herself to believe them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I need to write a bit ahead, so next update will probs take a bit longer. I love reading your comments, so thank you and Happy New Year!


	6. Chapter 6

The next morning, she woke with purpose. The servant let her know that Fugue's room was unlocked and ready to investigate. "If you need anything at all, please don't hesitate to tell us and the queen will make sure it is taken care of," they added. When they were showing her to Fugue's quarters after breakfast, she spotted Nahara striding down the hall in the opposite direction. Noticing them, Nahara smiled pleasantly.

"Morning, Gemini," she said as she approached. "Off to an early start, are we?"

Gemini grinned back. "What can I say? I'm eager to begin. I'm actually off to Fugue's room now."

Nahara frowned and slowed her pace, turning to walk alongside Gemini. "I'll accompany you. It might be dangerous." Gemini looked up at her curiously. "If I remember correctly, the guards that searched the room last time walked into a nasty surprise of magical traps." She hadn't thought of the possibility that the room might be booby-trapped, but it didn't surprise her with how slippery the man had been. Appreciating the company, she thanked Nahara as they walked on.

They came to a corridor of what must have been the royal court's wing; a few familiar faces from Nadia's events greeted them on their way to start the day. A guard was stationed by the door to what Gemini assumed was Fugue's room. Upon seeing Nahara, he snapped to attention.

"Your Highness," he said. "I advise you not to enter, it's dangerous."

"At ease," she replied. "I am accompanying Gemini. We'll be fine."

"But Your Highness, I was stationed here to protect the Sibyl should anything happen. You don't have to do that."

"I want to. Besides, I can't say I'm not curious about this investigation myself."

The guard looked reluctant, but he gave no further protest. With a nod from him, the servant reached for the doorknob but hesitated. Gemini fidgeted. _Was whatever happened last time that bad?_ After a deep breath, they pushed the door open and bowed, quickly excusing themselves. Gemini watched them go, mildly concerned, before peering into the room before her.

She stepped in, followed by Nahara and the guard, and scanned her surroundings slowly. She was tensed for anything, but her brow furrowed once she completed her sweep. "These were his living quarters for the past few years?" The guard replied in the affirmative. "I thought he left in a hurry. Why is it so empty?"

Besides a bed, a desk, a walk-in closet, and a bookshelf, the room was barren. If she hadn't been told otherwise, Gemini would have assumed it was a guest room. Not a single thing was out of place; even the desk was devoid of paperwork or books. It was _too_ clean. Even the room she sometimes stayed in at the palace back in Vesuvia had some of her stuff in there.

 _There goes my plan to find something useful here._ Focuses were immensely helpful when trying to track someone down, and she had hoped to find something with a strong enough connection to Fugue that she could use for that purpose. If he'd come back and taken anything at all, there was unlikely to be anything like that left. Still, she wouldn't be defeated and started to stroll around the room. Thick magical energy blanketed the air, almost overbearing on her senses as she moved. It felt familiar in the sense that she might be able to figure out what kind of magic was affecting the room; for that reason, she didn't think it was dark magic.

"Did you have any magicians in the room when it was initially searched?"

Nahara answered that no, they hadn't. "Our magicians were away on other business at the time, and we didn't want to delay the search. Why?"

 _So I might find more surprises as we look around._ Thinking about it more, she realized that even if Fugue had managed to return to his room before he left, he can't have taken much with him if he was going to be on the run. She looked down at her feet and sensed that there was something off about the floor. She walked over to the desk and placed her palm on its surface. _The magic isn't affecting it, huh?_ She clambered on top of it, her suspicions confirmed when she couldn't sense the magic as strongly once she was no longer on the ground. The rest of the furniture got the same treatment, much to her onlookers' confusion if their expressions were anything to go by.

Facing them, she placed her hands on her hips. "Something is going on with the floor, but it's not affecting anything actually touching it." The reasoning for it or the nature of the spell was beyond her, but she thought she could dispel it. "I'm going to try removing the spell."

"W-wait!" the guard said quickly. "What if it's a trap?"

"That's why you're here, isn't it?" she said with a deadpan expression. When the color drained from his face, she gave him what she hoped was a reassuring grin. "I'm kidding. Relax."

She turned away and closed her eyes. Reaching out with her magic, she sensed an invisible thread that led to a large bundle of energy. There was some resistance when she tugged on it at first, but eventually, a release of tension washed over her. The spell was undone. When she opened her eyes, Gemini heard a few things drop around the room.

"He must have inverted gravity on select parts of the room," she mused. Given his skills, she figured it wouldn't have been much trouble for him to selectively apply the spell's effects when he cast it. That would explain the lack of magic on the furniture, likely done to avoid suspicion. It was easily discovered by anyone with magical knowledge, though, so that also confirmed her theory that his actions were done in haste. "Let's split up and look around to see what fell." Gemini took the closet, Nahara tipped the bed onto its side, and the guard investigated the desk. Some items were spread haphazardly on the floor under some of the closet's shelves that were low to the ground. She sat cross-legged after gathering everything in a pile. As she started working through the items, she found nothing of note—a few memos on Nasmira's magic training, various baubles and chachkies, and some tools for potion-mixing. None of it stood out to her as potentially having any real significance to Fugue. The last item she picked up seemed promising; it was a golden arm bracelet with an intricate design etched into it. "With love, Nas" was engraved on the inside. Curious, Gemini crawled to the door.

"Hey Nahara?" she said, waving the jewelry in her hand. Nahara looked up from the small group of items she'd found under the bed. "Ever seen Fugue wear this?"

Nahara cocked her head and came over to squat next to her. Taking the bracelet in her hands, she said, "I've never known the man to be much for jewelry, but this looks like the gifts Nasmira handed out around Winter Fest last year."

"Gifts?"

"Yes, she gave everyone in the family a piece of gold jewelry that she made herself." She reached into her vest to pull out an elegant gold necklace of similar craftsmanship proudly. Looking back down at the bracelet, though, her eyebrows knit. "I wasn't aware she gave them to others. I suppose she was closer with Fugue than I thought." Gemini remained silent, unsure how much of what Nasmira told her was meant to stay a secret. "Anyway, I haven't found anything of merit under the bed. Looks like the guard struck out as well. How about you?"

She handed the bracelet back to Gemini, who turned it over in her hands. "I thought nothing as well, but maybe I can use this." She closed her eyes and focused on the bracelet; in a few moments, what must have been Fugue's magical energy flickered like candlelight in her mind. It was too faint for her to use it to properly track him, but it seemed to be significant enough to him that she might be able to use it for divination. When she shared this with Nahara, she seemed relieved.

"I'm glad, this isn't a total loss then."

Gemini stood. "Let me take another look around, just to make sure we haven't missed anything." She spread her magic throughout the room but was unable to sense any lingering spells or other bindings. Nahara scooted the items she found to the side before pushing the bed back in place. Gemini examined each item herself just to make sure, but it appeared to just be more miscellaneous items. Her attention returned to the desk, and the guard eagerly moved out of her way. The wooden seat was uncomfortable to sit on; she couldn't imagine Fugue spent much time there. Each drawer she opened was empty, but she expected this given that it had been examined before. The final drawer she opened, though, contained faint traces of what she now recognized as Fugue's magic. She stared at it closer and pressed her hand to the empty bottom.

"There's a cloaking spell on this drawer, but it feels a little old," she announced. She'd just barely noticed it, so she figured Fugue had set the spell some time ago and put a little more effort into it. Gemini called her magic forth and rolled it around in her palms before blowing it inside. The illusion lifted and revealed what appeared to be a false bottom. She dug her nails around the sides until she found purchase and lifted the bottom away. There lied an envelope addressed simply to "Fugue," the seal already broken and the letter still inside.

Her nerves tingled with anticipation at her find and she held it gingerly in her hands. Two pairs of eyes looked at her with interest as she made her way to the center of the room. Removing the letter, she found blocky script written in unusually blue ink.

"We do not forget," she read aloud as the others came to stand behind her. "Betrayal will not go unpunished. The Sword will have its vengeance—we are coming for you." That was all. She flipped it over, but there wasn't anything else written. The letter wasn't even addressed to her, but she still had chills. At the bottom was a symbol stamped onto the paper: three interlocking circles in a row with a sword running through the middle.

"I know that symbol," Nahara said, her tone grim.

"As do I," Valdemar added. As soon as she heard them and that melodic, yet haunting, timbre that always kickstarted her heart, she joined the others' shouts of surprise and hopped away to gawk at them. Valdemar, of course, stood there like nothing was wrong and they had been there the whole time.

She shut her eyes and looked away, running her free hand through her hair. "Why are you here?"

They cut their eyes to the side like it should have been obvious. "Why, I came by to see if you needed my protection."

Stepping closer to them, she got up in their face and dropped her voice to a whisper. "You're only still here because of Nasmira. If I had my way, you'd be on the next fruit boat back to Vesuvia." _Preferably with your unripe kin, Mx. 'Do I look like a banana?'_.

Nahara stared at Valdemar warily. "I thought you were to leave this morning."

They shrugged, bumping their shoulder against Gemini's as they passed. "I decided to help her with her investigation."

The other two looked at Gemini like they couldn't believe it. Gemini could only reply with a sullen look, lips pressed firmly into a thin line. "Anyway," she said, attempting to get back on task. "You were saying, Nahara?"

"That marking at the bottom of the letter… that's the insignia of the terrorist group Daum."

Gemini didn't know where to start with the myriad of questions she had—she could only parrot Nahara dumbly. "Daum?"

"An abbreviation of the group's full name," Valdemar said. "They call themselves The Sword of Damocles, after the famous tale."

"You know of them?" Nahara asked.

"Yes, they have been around for hundreds of years. The moniker was chosen as a threat based on the overall message from that story; the group represents the Sword, and the powerful that know of their existence have been nervous about whom that sword will fall on next."

Nahara took the letter from Gemini. "They deal exclusively in dark magic, and they're masters at it, tripling the danger they pose. Over the years, they have carried out various abductions, ransoms, and assassinations of noble elites and royalty alike of seemingly indiscriminate nature. People who have committed many war atrocities, people who led their states with kindness… it doesn't matter to them. All power is the enemy in their world." Betrayal blazed in her eyes. "The fact that you've discovered something linking Fugue to them is extremely concerning. We've been housing a terrorist and putting our family—no, our very kingdom, in danger for years! Who knows what he's been telling them while he lived here?"

Nahara's increasing distress put Gemini on edge. She thought back to the fond way Nasmira spoke of him; she may not know her very well, but she didn't seem the type to be led astray by a false character. "Hold on," she said, hoping to put Nahara at ease. "The letter mentions betrayal. Doesn't that mean that whatever affiliation he had with them is over? Maybe he never compromised anyone, and that's what earned him this threat."

Nahara shook her head. "That's a nice sentiment, but we don't know that. And even if that's true, it doesn't explain why he attacked Nasmira."

"Well, maybe he didn't."

"No? Then who did? There was no one else at the scene!" Nahara crossed her arms, and Gemini bit her lip. She shouldn't reveal too much.

"I don't know," she said, swallowing. "But whatever happened, I'll find out for certain." Nahara still didn't look convinced, but she gave her a short nod in reply. Gemini took the letter back. "At any rate, we've found some useful information here today. Perhaps I should look more into Daum's influence here in Prakra."

"Careful," said Nahara. "Remember what we discussed. They're a dangerous bunch that won't take kindly to anyone snooping around, least of all a courtier."

"I'll keep that in mind." The stakes of the job had just gotten bigger—first, it was a missing person case and now she might have a centuries-old terrorist group to deal with. On top of that, they're expert wielders in the ominous craft of dark magic, an area where Gemini's knowledge was severely lacking. _Can I really do this?_ She couldn't help but wonder if she'd bitten off more than she could chew. However, it wasn't in her to back down from a challenge, so she shook off her doubts and headed toward the bookshelf, the last place she hadn't inspected.

Skimming the titles of the few rows of books didn't reveal anything that stood out to her. She stood back, looking the bookshelf up and down. Something was sitting at the top, but she couldn't tell what it was from where she was standing. Her fingertips swiped at air when she stretched onto her tiptoes; she wasn't tall enough to get it.

"Allow me," said Nahara, delicately placing her hands on Gemini's waist and lifting. With her help, Gemini could see that it was a crossbow. _Oh. Well, I guess I'll take it since she went through the trouble._ She grabbed it, and Nahara set her back down and watched her struggle with its weight.

Laughing, she took the weapon from Gemini like it weighed nothing and looked it over. "Hm. Looks like a fine crossbow."

Gemini studied it too as if that would help her see what she meant. "Is it?"

"Yep." Nahara gave her a grin. "If you want, I could show you how to use it."

She opened her mouth to decline, but reconsidered. _Maybe I ought to up my danger-level too if I'm going to be dealing with people who mean business._ "I'd like that," she said, grinning back.

Nahara placed a heavy hand on Gemini's shoulder and squeezed. "Alright, if you're still around after dinner tonight, I'll send for you."

"Are we done here?" Valdemar crossed their arms and looked pointedly at the two. Gemini rolled her eyes. _How do you appear uninvited and then complain like you were forced?_

She thanked the guard and Nahara and exited the room with Valdemar following behind closely. She threw a questioning look back at them, but they said nothing. The pair walked all the way back to Gemini's room without exchanging words; once they stood in front of the door, she turned to face them again. They blinked back at her.

"Yes?" they asked innocently.

She stared at them. _They can't be thinking they're coming in._ "I'm going in my room."

"I assumed so."

"Nothing is going to jump out and eat me, you don't need to go this far to babysit."

They raised their palms, offering a short shrug. "I have nothing better to do."

She decided to change tactics. If being straight up with them wouldn't work, maybe saying something suggestive would get them to go away. Definitely not because she was flirting with them or anything. "But Quaestor, what would people think if they saw you entering a lady's room? The servants will be scandalized."

"You did not seem concerned about that when you entered my room. Besides, I see no lady here. Just you, and I would not dream of sullying myself by making any disgusting advances on the likes of you."

"Oh, _fuck off._ " With a huff, she shouldered open her door roughly and stomped inside. _Do whatever the fuck you want, see if I care!_ There was the rejection she had been anticipating. She ignored the pang in her chest and slammed the letter onto her desk. Valdemar, aloof as ever, traipsed into the room as she snatched a sheet of paper and a pen. They stood over her, irritating her further while she traced Daum's symbol onto the blank sheet. Once she was done, she rolled the letter up and stuffed it into her bag. On her way out the door, she hip-checked them, muttering, "Move." She didn't give them a second glance, but she was glad to hear the annoyance in their voice when they spoke.

"Where are you going?"

"Out."

"Surely you are not thinking of waving that drawing around in people's faces. That would be remarkably stupid, not to mention reckless."

She stopped walking, causing them to run into her back. "Do you have any other ideas?" she demanded. "This is my only lead so far." They didn't reply, only frowning down at her and shaking their head with a sigh. "Yeah, that's what I thought." She resumed her purposeful strides to the main hall, trying to block out their presence from her mind.

However, they refused to let her be. "Someone seems testy."

"Whose fault do you think that is, bud?"

They chuckled. "Don't tell me I insulted you earlier. You, who called me, what was it? 'A demonic void in a meat suit.'"

She tsked, unable to come up with a reasonable response. _I said one thing, but you're always rude for no reason!_ No matter—she would not allow them to interfere with her investigation. Resolving to work around the nuisance, she hailed a carriage. "Take us downtown, please."

#

Gemini lobbed her stress ball against the wall forcefully. Her foray into town earlier had been unfruitful. No matter where she went or how she phrased her questions, most people had no information to offer. A few clammed up suspiciously and some even adopted a hostile attitude toward her. She hated to admit it, but Valdemar was right—not only did she not find any new leads about Daum or what Fugue might be up to, but she may also have made some enemies out of those friendly to the group. At least Valdemar was gracious enough to keep their smug comments to themselves.

She paused in her angry throwing, instead tossing the ball between her hands. Sure, Fugue could just be running off to go hide somewhere. She wouldn't exactly blame him if he was only trying to dodge a pissed off gang. However, something told her there was more to it than that. Maybe she was reading too much into what Nasmira said about how he promised to fix things, but she just had a gut feeling that looking more into Daum would bring her to him.

 _Oh well. At least my belly is full of more delicious Prakran cuisine._ The queen seemed pleased that Gemini had uncovered more information during her probe of Fugue's room, albeit disturbed by what she heard. Training was what would really buoy Gemini's spirits, though. As if in answer to where her thoughts were headed, a knock sounded at her door.

A servant entered, bowing gracefully. "Princess Nahara has invited you to join her on the training grounds."

Gemini hopped up from the bed. "Yes, I'm ready." She was looking forward to this after the day she'd had. Training with Nahara always put her in a good mood, and she was happy to be doing it somewhere besides the abandoned coliseum in Vesuvia, where they usually sparred during her visits.

Just as she stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind her, Valdemar's door opened and they poked their head out. "Going somewhere?"

She kept her expression neutral as she turned to the servant, whose cheeks were pink. _I knew it. They're gossiping about us. Goddammit, Valdemar!_ "After you," she said, gesturing for her to lead the way. Valdemar shut their door and walked beside Gemini.

"I was just thinking of taking a stroll, but I think I will join you instead." When she looked up at them morosely, they were practically beaming at her from behind their mask. They were making her miserable and they knew it. Internally, she cursed their contrarianism. When she had wanted to talk to them and get to know them better, they seemed to barely tolerate her presence and threatened her to stop. Now that she wanted the least amount of interaction possible, suddenly, their prime interest became sticking to her and following her around everywhere.

If that was how it was going to be, she'd just have to work on being less bothered by their antics. Once she did that, they'd lose interest. As the trio walked in silence, she was really curious as to whether they noticed the blush that had spread to the servant's ears.

They were led outside to a large field, where the light from the sun still lingered. As promised, there was a row of targets lined up some yards from where Nahara stood. She was frowning down at the crossbow when they approached.

"Your Highness, Sibyl Gemini and Quaestor Valdemar," the servant announced. Nahara's face contorted in confusion as she stared at their uninvited guest, then at Gemini. Gemini stared back glumly.

"Thank you," Nahara said finally, and the servant left. "Well, I wasn't anticipating you Quaestor, but welcome anyway. Did you want to learn as well?"

"No, I am merely spectating," they said. "Please feel free to ignore me." They found a stump and wiped the dirt off before perching atop it.

Gemini offered Nahara an excited grin. "Are we ready? What are we starting with?" She looked around but didn't see any arrows nearby.

Nahara went back to frowning at the crossbow. "Well, I have some bad news. I didn't realize earlier, but this is an M-class weapon."

"M-class?"

"It means that it's enchanted, and you need magic to use it. I'm not as well-versed in that category of weaponry, so I'm afraid I won't be much use to you in giving you proper training."

Gemini's heart sank. "You're kidding…" If Nahara didn't know how to use it, then she'd best put it back where she found it. She'd only cause harm trying to operate it without any practice, especially since it was a magic weapon.

Nahara propped the bow onto her shoulder, holding up her other hand. "Wait wait, don't make that face! Maybe we can… figure it out."

"Figure it out?" Gemini repeated. "Is that safe?"

"Why not?" Nahara's self-assured smile did not ease Gemini's worries, but she followed her to the targets anyway. Once they were a good distance away, Nahara unloaded the crossbow into Gemini's arms, helping her when she had trouble with it. _Maybe I should resume my push-up regimen._ "At the very least, I can show you how you're meant to hold it. Bring it up to your shoulder." Gemini did as she was told, hefting it up with both hands and pointing it at a target. Nahara stood behind her and kicked at Gemini's ankles. "Widen your stance. Move your shoulder back a little." She then helped her adjust her grip so it was more firm. "Slide your hand back from in front of the cable, you'll lose a finger like that." Finally, Gemini started to feel like she was holding it properly. "Memorize this. That's the proper form." She nodded, and they spent some time making sure she had it down pat.

"That's enough for now," Nahara said eventually. Gemini dropped her arms, already knowing they would ache in the morning. "The good thing about this being an M-class is that it might actually be of some use to you in a sticky situation. The crossbow is traditionally a slow weapon because of the care needed to prepare each shot correctly, but since you're using your own magic, it can be just like shooting a regular bow if you get good at it."

"Nice. I think I'm pretty far off from being that good, though."

"We'll see." Nahara winked. "Keep practicing and who knows? You've been a great student in everything else I taught you, and I don't expect this to be any different." _Well, it_ is _different since neither of us really know how to use this thing._ Gemini kept her thoughts to herself and listened to Nahara's next instructions.

"Now, since the weapon is magic and not a physical arrow, you'll have to channel your energy into the bow in its place. How good is your offensive magic?"

"Good enough." Asra was hesitant to teach her any of it and she suspected he was still holding out, so she could only do so much. She handed off the crossbow to Nahara and closed her eyes, cupping her hands. After a few moments, she felt the familiar tingle of electric charge. Gemini liked elemental magic for offense but still wanted to be different from Asra, so she had focused on learning lightning magic. She opened her eyes to see a bright white ball in her palms, small branches of lightning spiking out from it. Nahara's eyes flickered behind her before focusing on the light; Gemini didn't bother turning around to see whatever Valdemar was doing.

"Good," Nahara said. "Are you able to shape it at all?" Gemini spread her hands apart, and the ball stretched into an oblong shape. Nahara chuckled. "Okay, challenge for you: can you make it into an arrow?"

Gemini furrowed her brow and gave it a shot. For a few moments, the energy flickered as if going out and didn't change shape at all. However, after more gentle encouragement from Nahara, the ball slowly began to flatten and stretch. Gemini reached out with one hand as it continued to elongate until she held something resembling an arrow, though the form was unstable.

Nahara beamed at Gemini with wonder. "You're doing it!"

"Don't get too excited," she mumbled. As soon as said that, the energy dissipated, but Nahara was quick to urge her to try again. She kept at it, bringing forth her magic again and again until she was able to create a steady lightning arrow on command.

"Now make it shorter. Crossbows take smaller arrows." With a flick of her wrist, the arrow was gone and replaced with one more appropriately sized. "Perfect! I told you that you were my star student." Nahara clapped Gemini's shoulders, and she allowed herself a small smile for the first time since they started. _Maybe there's hope for me yet._ Nahara's expression became serious. "How are you feeling? Tired?"

Gemini flexed her fingers and shook her head. "Nah, summoning these are nothing."

"Alright, so far so good. And now, the final step: putting it all together." She handed the crossbow back to Gemini, who shouldered it up and slid her finger onto the trigger. "Ah ah ah, put it down! Not yet! Even if it's your own magic, don't nock your arrows like that, it's dangerous. At least look at it when you do it." Gemini dipped the bow lower and watched as her magic materialized into an arrow once more. Concentrating, she guided it into the bow's track and pulled it against the cable—it didn't budge. She tried again with similar results.

"Heavy fucker, isn't it," she said under her breath. Immediately, her cheeks flared and she glanced up at Nahara. "Uh, sorry."

Nahara laughed, waving a hand. "I've heard worse language on the battlefield, you won't offend me. Besides, I have to assume all of Natiqa's friends curse like sailors." _She knows her sister._ "But yes, you need to put in more force when loading these."

Gemini focused on pulling the arrow back with more strength, but was careful not to snap the cable. Finally, she felt the arrow connect with the spring, and she let out the breath she'd been holding. She shrugged off Nahara's repeated question about how she was feeling and held the weapon up again. They were starting to lose the light, and she wanted to at least shoot once before they called it a night. She took aim at the target in front of her and leaned her cheek against the stock.

The air seemed to still, her slow intake of breath the only sound ringing in her ears. She shut one eye and steadied her grip. Willing her knees to stop wobbling, she forced herself to focus on the target instead of her nerves. She'd never handled an actual weapon besides her knife before, so she was highly concerned about hurting herself or someone else. _Focus, Gemini._ Slowly, carefully, she exhaled and started to pull back the trigger—

_CRACK!_

The wind whipped her hair into her face as she flew back, her heels digging tracks in the ground. The force with which she was pushed had her tipping head over heels, and the bow flew out of her hands as she tumbled. The world rotated at a dizzying pace until she landed on her back with a soft "Oof!" As soon as she was stationary, she shot out her hand hoping to prevent the bow from a harsh drop. She looked around wildly once she could see straight, and her shoulders sagged in relief once she spotted it hovering a couple inches off the ground a few feet away. It thumped harmlessly into the grass once she dropped her arm.

Nahara's worried face came into view as Gemini rolled onto her back. "Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine," she said, thankfully unhurt—just surprised. "That trigger is sensitive, huh?"

"Goodness, what was that?? You took down a tree!" Gemini's breath caught in her throat. _No way._ She leaned up onto her arms and, sure enough, there was a tree on fire in the distance. Guards rushed past them with water buckets in hand, and they could only stare after them in awe. She watched them attempt to put it out with poor results before she snapped out of it and conjured a wave of water, sending it hurtling towards the fallen tree. The guards tripped over themselves trying to dive out of the way before it splashed down, effectively killing the fire.

"Whoops," Gemini said, still in shock as she flopped onto her back again. She was so frazzled, she'd summoned more water than she intended.

"You're not taking that bow anywhere until you pare down your energy. Forget killing your enemy, you'll incinerate an innocent bystander like that." Gemini agreed. She didn't want to kill anyone in the first place, she only wanted to shoot to disarm and incapacitate.

Someone snickered behind them. Nahara's head snapped up as she glared at the offender with intense ferocity. "You! You were standing right behind her, you could have caught her! Why didn't you?"

Gemini tilted her head back to see Valdemar with their hand clamped over their mouth and shoulders shaking with laughter. "I could have, couldn't I?" they managed to say before turning away, flapping an arm dismissively. She started to grin before she caught herself. _It is funny. But they don't need to know that._

Nahara shook her head and stood to help Gemini up. "Alright, that's it for today."

"No, come on, I think I've got it!" Nahara looked at her skeptically, but Gemini wasn't ready to quit just yet. She knew what she'd done wrong; she'd overestimated how much magical energy she needed to make the bows, so it created too much force when she shot it. "There's still a little light left, and I'm your star student, remember? I will personally replant any additional forestry I destroy. Please don't take the bow from me yet."

She looked like she wanted to tell Gemini "no," but instead relented with a sigh. They ran through the exercise until the sun set fully. As promised, Gemini did not repeat her earlier explosion of power, but she over-corrected; the arrows fired normally but dissolved into static bursts once they landed. When servants began to approach with torches, Nahara marked that as the end of their session.

"Well, despite the end taking a bit of a turn, I'd say this was a great exercise considering we didn't know how it worked!" Nahara mussed Gemini's hair as they started to walk back, causing her to giggle.

"Only because I had such a great teacher," Gemini said, ducking away from her hand. "You said you wouldn't be any help!"

"I meant that I wouldn't be able to help with any of the magical parts. Luckily, you're such a gifted magician, you were able to get it by yourself. Here, I'll carry that." She took the bow from Gemini's exhausted arms. "Too bad we couldn't get the arrows to stick though."

Gemini had been thinking about that—perhaps that wasn't a bad thing. "No, I think that works, actually. When I checked the one target I did hit, there was a puncture mark there."

"I see. Then I guess you'll have the added benefit of shocking your opponents… I don't envy them." She whipped out a notebook and pen from within her robes and started jotting something down. "I won't be around for the next few days, but if you want to practice actually hitting the targets—" This prompted a "Hey!" from Gemini. "—I can have my chief marksman help you. I'll make sure we get you a carrying case for this as well."

Nahara walked with them back to their rooms even though Gemini insisted she could carry the crossbow herself. She showed Gemini how to collapse it before placing it on her desk and stepping back into the hallway. For some reason, Valdemar hadn't gone into their room yet; they were leaning against their door, looking like they were up to no good. Nahara looked between them for a moment before giving her a strange look and walking away. _Not you too, Nahara!_ She gave Valdemar her most unimpressed look when they started to approach. She turned and slammed her door shut, but they caught it with their foot. Gemini sighed with her whole body as she sank onto her bed. "What do you want?"

They smirked at her. "Although you have been training with the Satrinava family's strongest daughter, you still have more to learn it seems."

Gemini narrowed her eyes. "That was new for both of us. It's not that wild for me to have made a mistake."

"Well, if you are ever in need of a new sparring partner, I might be willing to oblige once."

"Please. I'd kick your ass. Now stop tormenting me and go to bed, or whatever it is you do at night."

Laughter crinkled their eyes. "I would love to see you try." They entered and made themselves comfortable in her desk chair. "And don't be dramatic. I thought you wanted me to take more of an interest in you?"

 _Not like this! Or rather, not now!_ "I was speaking generally when I said that. Anyway, beat it. I'm tired and need to think."

"I'm sure you do." Valdemar folded their hands in their lap, eyes betraying a grin that was likely anything but friendly. "After all of your useless endeavors today, I imagine you have quite a bit to ponder. How will you move forward, I wonder?" She wordlessly fell back onto the bed. _Am I a masochist? Why am I interested in them, again?_ "Your little forest fire was something else, thank you for that."

She thought to retort, but figured it wouldn't matter what she said—they'd come to gloat, so they would gloat. "You know, if you actually contributed, we'd be able to separate sooner." She was mostly complaining to herself but they may as well hear it.

Surprisingly, they seemed to take that into consideration. "Hm," was all they said, crossing their arms while deep in thought.

Gemini rolled onto her side and stared absentmindedly at Fugue's bracelet on her nightstand. _Maybe if I start changing into my pajamas, they'll go away._ She was half tempted to do it, too. The bracelet seemed to glitter in response, and she got another idea. Grabbing it, she sat up on the bed. _I took this so I could try divination on it… this might give me something more to work with._ Gemini had been studying it on her own for the past few months. This would be her first time trying, so she hoped for something good and closed her eyes, letting her magic flow into the jewelry. Valdemar asking her what she was doing barely registered in her mind, but she tuned them out.

 _I need to find Fugue. Where can I do that?_ Something in the air stirred in response to her probing, and the bracelet grew warm. Fugue's energy was responding to her. Her magic brushed up against something solid; she tried to push through but wasn't getting anywhere. She recalled reading about blockages during divination representing either weak magical ability, inexperience, or the subject's resistance to the ritual—she suspected it was a mix of the last two. It would be dangerous to brute force it, but she kept at it anyway, determined to get _something_.

Finally, a foreign force seeped into her mind and stoked her magic. She gasped, having never felt anything like it. It was a gentle caress of energy, creating goosebumps down her arms and clearing her thoughts. The room fell away into nothingness. Sound didn't exist. Blank white flooded her mind—

She was suddenly staring at the bed, cheek smarting. Valdemar stood over her looking just as shocked as she felt; their hand hovered in the air awkwardly before they straightened and leaned away. They had slapped her.

"You were not responding," they said, looking away.

Gemini was still in a daze. "Oh…" _That's not good. I lost control._ "Thank you." If they hadn't been there, she could have quite literally lost her mind.

"What were you doing? You kept muttering under your breath."

The fog in her brain cleared immediately. "I was? What was I saying?"

They traced their bottom lip carefully as they hummed. "It sounded like 'acacia.' I believe that was it."

"Acacia," she repeated in amazement. _So it_ did _work!_ "Ha! This is great!" Sure, it wasn't Fugue's exact coordinates, but it was _something_ she'd gotten from his energy. It was at least a step in the right direction.

Valdemar couldn't look more perplexed, but they slowly smiled back. "You seem optimistic. I suppose this is better for the investigation than having sour spirits, so I support it."

"Glad you see it my way." She hopped up and gently began pushing them toward the door. "To keep my spirits from souring, please leave. Good night!" Their shocked expression was the last thing she saw before she slammed the door shut on them a second time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Gemini face reveal here](https://twitter.com/SpaceAqueerious/status/1348866006773616641?s=20), if you're curious


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Blood

"I think we should call it a day."

Gemini stretched her sore muscles, reaching high over her head and standing on her tiptoes. The sun was still shining but it would set soon. More time had passed than she anticipated spending on the field; she had not yet met her goal of consistently hitting all the targets. Her accuracy had improved, but only to fifty percent at best. "Come on, once more."

The marksman shook his head, smiling. "I understand you aren't where you had hoped to be, but you should be proud. Your progress is commendable given the fact that you've only just started learning." Gently, he took the crossbow from her. "I'll bet your muscles are screaming." _He's not wrong._ "Rest is important as well."

With a wistful look back at the targets, she gave in and nodded. As much as she wanted to keep going, she knew she shouldn't. They'd been at it since shortly after breakfast, and she still wanted to stop by the library; she needed to look into any possible associations between Prakra and acacias. No trees or other shrubbery were harmed during her training session this time—the gardeners, and Nahara, would be relieved. She watched as he collapsed the bow and packed it into a case. He stood back up and held it out to her with one hand. "All yours," he said. She accepted it calmly but inside she was giddy and wanted to hold it to her chest. Even though she had yet to master it, she was already attached to the weapon and decided she liked long-range combat. _I'm sure Fugue will understand if I borrow this._

As she walked past the dining hall, Gemini could smell something wonderful cooking. Dinner, her favorite time of day here, would be soon. Visions of retiring in Prakra someday far in the future filled her head all the way until she returned to her room to deposit the bow. There was a window seat in one of the halls near the dining area that was calling her name, so she decided to pass the time there until it was time to eat; she would visit the library afterward.

She made herself comfortable on the plush cushions and leaned her head against the window. Daydreaming again, she tapped her finger against the windowpane idly until she heard footsteps approaching. She expected a servant coming to tell her dinner was ready but was instead met with the sight of Valdemar shutting their notebook.

"Hello," they greeted.

"Evening, Quaestor." They moved to sit next to her and she scrunched up her knees to make room. Their presence didn't agitate her like it had yesterday and she'd gotten over their comment. However, she still didn't know how to act around them and they definitely enjoyed seeing her squirm. _What do you need?_

They seemed to have heard her silent question; their fingers drummed against the cover of their notebook and they turned to face her. It took a moment longer for their eyes to catch up and finally meet hers. With a deep breath, they said, "I may have found something useful." Gemini tilted her head, waiting for them to elaborate. "I went to the library earlier and took a look at some books on flora in Prakra. There is a village about half a day away on foot, Sadhir, that is known to have an abundance of acacia species in its surrounding grasslands. It is notable for also being the only locale in Prakra where you can find this species."

Valdemar was… actually helping? _This is a surprise._ It was absolutely welcome; Gemini had not been looking forward to poring over various musty tomes in hopes of finding something at least tangentially related to the case. This was a huge help, but she was shocked they had done something to actively assist her, especially without being asked.

Her speechlessness was not lost on Valdemar, for they chuckled at her silence. "You have a habit of asking me to do things, and then being surprised when I do it. Was it not your idea for me to aide you in hopes of expediting the investigation?"

They had a point. "You're right," she admitted. "That is indeed useful. Thanks." She spotted a servant walking by and waved to get her attention. "Excuse me, will the queen be at dinner tonight? I have an update to my investigation, and we'll need arrangements to travel to Sadhir as soon as possible." If it was half a day on foot, they could surely reach the village before late evening if they took a carriage.

"Oh no, my lady," said the servant. "She has other affairs to attend to, so she will be taking her meal in private. Most of the royal family is busy this evening, so there are no plans for a formal dinner in the dining hall."

"Rats." They needed to act soon if they were going to make it before it became too dark for the horses to see. "Is there someone else that can help?"

"Yes, I can get—"

"Gemini, did you need something?" Nasmira approached from the stairway, the tiniest of smiles on her face. The servant immediately dropped into a deep bow.

"Your Highness." Gemini and Valdemar stood and bowed as well. "We've found a lead that points us to Sadhir. We need resources prepared so we can travel there after dinner and arrive before dark."

"The village Sadhir?" When Gemini nodded, Nasmira looked concerned. "I'm assuming you were hoping to use a carriage. Unfortunately, the monarchy is not popular there, so it would not be wise to arrive in a royal carriage. I fear you would be met with hostility if your affiliation with us was known."

Gemini deflated. Making the trek on foot did not sound appealing, but she would do what she must. "I see. Just the provisions for food and lodging, then. A few days' worth should suffice."

"Alright. I'll see to it that everything is ready for you by morning, and I will let _maa_ know."

 _Morning?_ "Your Highness, we should leave now! Fugue might be there as we speak, this could be our chance!"

She shook her head. "Gemini, I can't have you all traveling on foot outside city limits at night. There has been a rash of incidents where bandits have been attacking travelers under the cover of darkness, and I don't want that to be you."

"But—"

"Besides, even if that was not an issue, you would arrive too late to find any open lodging." Gemini wanted to protest but knew it would be no use. Nasmira just wanted them to be safe as long as they could help it. An encouraging hand reached out to squeeze her shoulder, and she looked up into Nasmira's smiling eyes. "I appreciate your diligence, but it will be alright. Even if you arrive and Fugue is not there, I have faith that you will find something. You are very capable."

Nasmira's words felt wasted on her. _Capable? I have yet to find anything of consequence, just scraps here and there. I've done nothing but prove my inability to provide real results._ Yes, it had technically only been a day since the investigation began in earnest but she had already bungled things with her failed inquiry in town. Seeds of doubt about her ability to handle this had been peppering her thoughts recently, and they were beginning to bear fruit. Perhaps her skills had been overestimated; really, her investigation into Lucio's death would have stalled had it not been for the help of others. She shuddered to think of where they'd be had she been working alone. This chance to prove otherwise to herself was what she wanted, but could she actually do it?

The storm of self-deprecating thoughts waging war on her self-esteem was veiled by Gemini's easy smile. "You're right. Tomorrow morning it is. Thank you, Your Highness." She bowed again for good measure.

"Of course. Good luck." Nasmira gave a small wave and glided away, leaving the scent of lilacs in her wake. The servant rose from her bowed position and turned to face Gemini and Valdemar once more.

"Would the two of you like to take your meal in the courtyard?" she asked. "I must say, it has quite the romantic atmosphere at this time of day in the sunset. The royal consort and the queen frequently dine there together."

Gemini glanced up at Valdemar, whose expression had frozen. Without taking their gaze off the servant, they slowly turned their head to the side. Gemini could practically hear their confusion.

She burst into a laugh that sounded harsh and false, and internally cursed herself. "This one doesn't eat," she said, delivering a firm slap to Valdemar's shoulder. The way they jumped would have made her laugh for real if she wasn't focused on immediately exiting the situation. If Valdemar hadn't noticed the servants' reactions towards the pair of them—which, to be honest, she didn't know why she thought they would—she did not want to be the one to explain it to them, lest she be subject to another insult. "I'll take my meal alone in my room. Thank you." She nodded at the servant and sped away, Valdemar on her heels with questions about what the meaning of that was.

#

In the morning, all of their travel necessities were prepared for them. A servant stood by the main entrance with everything stacked neatly beside him. Gemini was up as soon as the sky started to brighten and skipped breakfast—she was simply too eager to wait any longer. The servant called her out on it and insisted that she let him fetch her some bread to at least have on the go. Valdemar hadn't arrived yet, so she relented. He returned quickly and she had already inhaled half of it by the time Valdemar strolled into the hall. All they said was a "hello;" she had narrowly dodged their questioning about the servant's suggestion the night before, and she was glad to see they had likely already forgotten about it.

Armed with a map and directions on how to exit the city, they set off. Valdemar was quickly delegated as the guide since Gemini was directionally challenged. It was a quiet morning, providing a beat of tranquility in all the excitement of the past few days. Valdemar didn't offer any conversation—Gemini was still dedicated to minimizing their interactions, so she was happy to walk with them in silence. The weight on her back from the crossbow was new to her, but she felt more secure having it. They walked for most of the day, stopping to take a few short breaks so Gemini could rest her legs. Valdemar seemed unbothered by the exercise, and she mused about how much of their physicality was actually human and how much was just for show.

Finally, they breached the grasslands that outlined the perimeter of Sadhir. It was time for another break; when they came across a clearing, Gemini picked a tree and leaned against it, taking a deep breath. "We should be pretty close now, right?" she asked. Valdemar stood next to her while they studied the map.

"Yes, we should arrive in the village within the next half hour."

Gemini looked around. There were various types of plants growing in the area, and there were some that looked like acacias but she wasn't sure. Valdemar confirmed that it was when she asked. "Do you think we should search around here? Since this is where the acacia is."

They gave her a look. "And what, pray tell, would we be looking for here in the wilderness?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, it could be anything. Might as well try, right?"

"Be my guest. I said I would help you, but I will not waste time turning over every cushion on the odd chance I _may_ find coins. Efficiency is key."

 _Just come right out and say you don't think I'm doing things right._ Tongue in her cheek, she turned to give them a piece of her mind. "You could stand to dial down the snark, Quaestor. I'm trying. I appreciate the help but things would go a lot smoother if you were maybe a little nicer and more engaged. Don't you agree?" She crossed her arms, but they didn't look up from the map. A minute passed with no response. _Really…?_ Now they were going to get it. At the same time that she stepped closer to them, their head snapped up with eyes fixated on something in the distance. Faster than she could blink, Valdemar delivered a kick to her stomach that sent her flying, with a loud explosion erupting in the next second.

Her training kicked in and she twisted in midair to stretch her arms out and spring off the ground. It didn't quite go as she planned and she ended up skidding on her arms across a patch of dirt and gravel. Her elbows stung and she gasped from having the wind knocked out of her, but she was more focused on the hole that now existed where she and Valdemar had been standing seconds ago. They were on the other side, glaring sharply up into the trees. Gemini followed their gaze and squinted to see four figures spread out among the branches. When she noticed that they were all clad in blue, her blood ran cold.

_Daum._

They wore identical blue robes and baggy pants with black stockings and sandals. Blue hoods hid their faces at their current distance. The only difference between them was the person in front with a gold scarf. It was this person that spoke.

"Gemini Klim," a baritone voice thundered. _Fuck fuck fuck fuck._ "Quaestor Valdemar. A little birdie told us that you are looking for us. Well." He paused to chuckle softly. "A few little birdies told us. We have many friends in Prakra." Rather than freezing, her fear mobilized her to start crawling toward a nearby boulder. She pressed her back against it and hunkered down, feeling small and afraid. _Valdemar was right, I am a fucking_ moron! Full of regrets as she was, none of it would help her now. What was done was done, and they had alerted Daum to their existence.

"A word of advice," the voice continued. "Mind your business and stop sniffing around things that don't concern you." Her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach Were they going to be killed? "Now, I'll tell you what you're going to do. You're going to turn around, go back the way you came, and tell your Prakran clientele to back off our prey."

That pulled Gemini out of her stupor. _If they're trying to get us to back off, that must mean Fugue is in Sadhir, right?_ Before she knew what she was doing, her hands had already shucked off her crossbow and she'd loaded it with an arrow. Her fingers were slick with sweat and nerves racked her body, but she couldn't back down here. She was so close, and they'd just confirmed it. No matter how afraid she was, she would have to push through.

She must, or she'd die trying.

Slowly, she lowered herself onto her stomach and crawled to peer around the other side of the boulder. The group was perched a bit farther than the targets were during her—admittedly few—practice sessions, but she knew crossbows had pretty decent range. There were two figures she thought she could hit, one of them being the speaker. She carefully pressed the stock against her shoulder and angled the bow up into the trees, sights set on the man with the gold scarf. The burning on her elbows went ignored.

"Remember this day." Her heart hammered in her chest. "Burn our image into your mind." Time slowed as she let out a deep exhale. "Be mindful of the mercy we showed you, and don't forget the threat our name holds. We are Daum, the Sword of—"

She pulled the trigger, the recoil from the shot seeming more intense than it had just a day prior.

Stray sparks crackled from within the bow's chamber as the arrow shot forth, edging closer to her targets. As long as it hit one of them, it would be alright. The man with the gold scarf turned just as the arrow got within striking range, inches from his chest. Gemini looked on with bated breath, her heart beating so loud and fast she thought she was going to throw up.

It sailed harmlessly past both targets she was aiming for.

_Shit shit shit!_

It may have been a few inches too far to the right to hit the leader, but it did strike the figure standing farthest from her. The arrow buried itself in their side, disappearing into a flash of electricity as their body spasmed and fell from their perch.

_Fuck. Yes._

"So you choose violence." Gold Scarf, as Gemini had now dubbed him, jumped down from his tree branch. "Kill them both," he said before disappearing into the trees. The remaining two figures hopped down, one running for Valdemar and the other heading straight for Gemini. She scrambled to her feet and leaned the bow against the boulder. _Here we go._ The person drew a shortsword and adrenaline surged throughout her. Nahara had sparred with her using a knife, but she had no experience with swords. She tried to shake off the fear and removed her scarf, bringing it to life with her magic. It zipped toward her attacker's legs, but they jumped over it easily.

Without thinking, she lobbed a bolt of lightning their way; they ducked, and the blow exploded into a tree in the distance. _Shit! Too much power!_ She knew she needed to stop being so rattled and concentrate, but that was easier said than done. Her mind blanked as they swiped at her with their sword, all the grace and precision of a deadly killer in their swift movements. They were dancing around her, and she was just barely managing close dodges. If it kept on like this, she would gas out.

The next time she summoned her lightning, she was mindful to control her output before she threw it at them. The strike hit her target; the shocks spiraling down the sword stunned them into dropping it, and she wasted no time getting close. Their inexperience in hand-to-hand combat quickly became evident in their slow reactions to Gemini's direct jabs and kicks. When they started stumbling, she took the opening and feinted left. They fell for it, and she sidestepped in the opposite direction and swept their legs out from under them. Immediately, she commanded her scarf forward to bind their ankles and straddled them while they struggled. Before she could get her hands on them, their arms rose to jab their fingers in her face, trying to dig into her eye sockets. _Stop struggling, you'll make it worse!_ She meant to place her hands on their face or their chest, but she settled for gripping their forearms and sending shocks through their body that way. They jerked underneath her for a few seconds, then stopped moving.

Once their arms dropped, she fell forward onto her own arms, breathing heavily. Their hood had fallen during their struggle, and the sight of their face filled her with regret. The person underneath her couldn't have been more than a few years younger than her, round cheeks and long hair adding to their youthful appearance. They should have been finishing up an apprenticeship, not running around as a gang member. She rolled off them, chest heavy with exhaustion and heartache.

"Come at me!" she heard. She jumped to her feet only to drop back down to avoid the massive burst of dark energy hurtling straight toward her. A tree toppled somewhere behind her, but she was more focused on an angry-sounding Gold Scarf that was circling her. He waved his hand, and reality seemed to distort around him before another black mass began to take shape. Just in time, she threw up a barrier to protect herself, but the impact shattered it and sent her careening backward. She'd barely gotten to her knees when another burst came—she rolled away, tripping over herself in her haste to stand and shield herself again. This one was going to give her trouble.

"Help me!" she yelled as she ran back toward the boulder, hoping to grab her crossbow and get some assistance from Valdemar. Gold Scarf blocked her path with a particularly powerful burst; it clipped her and she was once again airborne, barrier destroyed. It took her longer to get to her feet this time; the fighting was starting to take its toll on her body. Her training sessions could get pretty intense, but she had never been in a fight like this. _Why aren't they answering?_ She looked around for them, finally spotting them back toward the edge of the clearing. Valdemar was casually leaning against a tree, watching her movements intently. "What are you doing?! Help!" _Do they not have eyes?? He is going to kill me!_

She had no time to get angry—Gold Scarf raised his hand to level another projectile at her. The onslaught seemed endless as Gemini continually used her magic to protect herself only to get thrashed around once the hits landed. In the brief glimpses she got when she watched him to see when he'd strike next, she noticed that he always fired with his left hand. The observation was odd, but she was too busy trying to stay alive to give it much thought. She eventually changed tactics to outrunning his attacks, but he kept up well. It felt like hours before she realized that her body was rapidly approaching her limit. With the last of her strength, she dashed behind a tree, breath coming in shallow puffs.

Gold Scarf cackled, the malice in his voice making Gemini's skin crawl. "That will not help you, girl. I will wipe you, your little friend, and this entire forest out of existence!" Her head fell back against the tree, and her eyes fluttered shut. _I can't._ She was _so_ tired, and Valdemar seemed uninterested in intervening. She stood on unsteady legs and peered around the tree to see what he was doing. He waved his left hand in a circle and made an unusual sign with his fingers. Instead of the black voids of distortion she was used to, a black hole expanded from his palm until it resembled a portal. A horribly hollow sound filled the air; leaves, rocks, and dirt swirled before flying into the hole, gone forever.

Her arms had just clamped around the tree trunk in a vice grip when her feet were ripped from under her. The force pulling her toward the hole was immense; the tension on her arms was such that she worried they would be torn from their sockets if she held on much more. _Don't look back, don't look back, don't look back._ Her inner chants didn't work. Slowly, she looked back to see Gold Scarf standing still as a statue, watching. Waiting. The tree was beginning to bend and would likely snap any minute, and her arms were tired. He would soon get what he wanted.

A flash of magenta caught her eye. Her scarf was lying a couple feet behind him on the ground, undisturbed and out of the way of the impending doom she faced. With a burst of energy, she screamed as she guided it to slither up Gold Scarf's back and wind around his throat like an improvised boa constrictor. It tightened, and he choked. The hole disappeared just as Gemini's arms gave out, and she fell to the ground. She wanted to lie there and catch her breath, but she couldn't waste the adrenaline rush. Her body buzzed with energy as she sent a bolt concentrated at his left arm. When it hit, she let the scarf fall away as he shouted and sank to his knees from the intensity. A smirk found its way onto her face as he grabbed at his now useless arm, unable to move it. His eyes were hidden by the shade of his hood, but she knew without a doubt that the glare he leveled at her was murderous.

"Bitch!" he spat, getting up and using his good arm to withdraw his sword. He lunged at her, but the rest of his body was still weak from Gemini's blow. With ease, she grabbed his wrist and twisted his arm until he dropped the weapon.

"Eat my ass," she retorted. She kicked it away, but he wriggled out of her grip and shoved her. When she turned to reach for her scarf again, he grabbed her hair and pulled, _hard_. Luckily, she didn't fall and instead reached back to grasp his wrist with both hands before dropping down to the ground, dragging him with her. Unluckily, she was trapped underneath him.

He rolled until he was straddling her, and she frantically pawed at her thigh until her hand closed around the handle of her knife. She threw her hand back up, knifepoint out, just in time for Gold Scarf to slam his hand onto the blade. His eyes clamped shut as he howled in pain, giving her enough time to sneak her other hand onto his chest and shock him into unconsciousness. The harsh exhale she let out was both from the weight of him falling onto her and the weight of her fright lifting. After a few deep breaths, she pushed him off and stood with her now bloody knife in hand. Her energy was all but depleted, but she was victorious. "Bitch."

She wasn't done yet, though. Valdemar was now standing a few feet away from the tree, arms folded. They waited patiently as Gemini dragged herself over to them with her eyes blazing. "What the FUCK!!" They winced a little but otherwise kept their composure. "I called out to you for help, he was going to fucking kill me! Why the hell were you just standing there?!"

Infuriatingly, they cocked their head in their usual manner. "I figured there was no way you, the gifted magician who defeated the Devil, would be bested by third-rate thugs."

 _Are they insulting me, or are they insulting—you know what, it doesn't matter!_ "What part of this aren't you getting? I was almost _dead!_ "

"But did you die?" She recoiled like they'd struck her. "You did not. You lived. Praise be to you." When she didn't budge, face frozen in a terrifying mix of livid disbelief, they chuckled. "Oh, don't look at me like that. If I thought you could not do it, I would have stepped in to help you. That is what I promised, and I do not lie."

Valdemar walked away, heading toward the village. She was tempted to snatch them by their escoffion, but the person that was previously hidden by Valdemar's body caught her attention. They were collapsed in a heap, unmoving as blood pooled under them. Gemini surged forward without thinking, collapsing on all fours when she reached them and turned them over. Red streaked down the side of their mouth. She became chilly all over.

"Oh, god," she whimpered. "Oh, fuck. Are they dead?" Valdemar had apparently followed her, as they came to stand by her side and answered.

"Yes."

She rose slowly to stare up at them in shock. To be honest, it wasn't the fact that they killed their opponent that took her anger to new heights; that was behavior she'd expect from them. "You idiot!!" She shoved them, but it lost some of its intimidation factor when she toppled over with the movement. Valdemar must have been caught off guard since their hands shot out to catch her arms before she fell flat on her face. "Now they will not stop until they end the both of us!"

They steadied her on her feet and withdrew from her with a laugh. "It is too late to be concerned about that, little magician. It became too late once you threw the first strike. We could have retreated without consequence and regrouped later."

"No! I didn't kill anyone!"

"Are you sure about that?" Valdemar tilted their head doubtfully. With exaggerated movements, she made a sweeping gesture at the three people she'd attacked and stepped aside. They shook their head but moved to check everyone's pulse. When they sat back on their haunches and didn't turn around, Gemini raised her chin defiantly. _Like. I. Said._

"So?" they said, standing again. "It is done. We will deal with what comes. You didn't honestly expect a clash with Daum not to get bloody, did you? Come now." With that, they turned on their heel and resumed their march outside the clearing.

Gemini stood rooted in place. She had a good reason not to kill, but she also personally did not want any blood on her hands. _I can't do that… it's not in me._ Could she have done what Valdemar had if she wasn't able to take her opponent down? She didn't know, and that scared her. Valdemar's earlier comment about them being low-level foes crept back to the forefront of her mind. Were stronger enemies going to come for them now? She had a hard enough time today as it was. The future looked grim for her if this was only the beginning.

"You're lagging," came Valdemar's singsong voice from somewhere far ahead. As much as they enraged her at the moment, they were right; they'd better get a move on before the survivors woke up. The boulder she left her crossbow behind seemed woefully distant, and she sagged at the thought of having to go all the way over there. Sighing, she picked up her scarf, shook out the dirt, and slowly wound it around her neck as she willed her suddenly heavy body to press onward.

#

After Gemini got a chance to rest once they entered Sadhir, she was back up again, asking around the village about Fugue and Daum. No one seemed to know anything. Valdemar chided her for repeating her "foolish mistake," but she figured they had nothing left to lose now. _They're already coming to kill us. Can't get much worse than that._ The longer her endeavors went on with no results, the more Valdemar grew irritated.

Finally, they reached their breaking point. "Magician, can we _please_ go secure our arrangements for the night? This is pointless."

 _You're pointless._ Her pettiness was showing, but she did her best to keep it at bay. "Fine. After we hit this bar." She jerked her head toward a decrepit building with a rusting sign that read, "The Salty Kettle." Valdemar eyed it and her warily. "What? For information, not leisure."

"I will not enter such a low-brow establishment. I fear that any part of myself that touches anything in there will come away with a film."

Gemini rubbed her hands down her face. "Then go by yourself to look for the inn! Go be stuck up somewhere else." They glared in response, but she strode into the bar before they could retort. She was glad to be away from them temporarily so she could get her emotions back in check.

Despite the ugly exterior, the bar had a pleasant ambiance (for a bar). The patrons were jovial without being belligerent, and each crowded table was abuzz with animated chatter over beer and snacks. Their camaraderie instantly relaxed her shoulders and made her more at ease. She took a step further inside. _Huh, the floor isn't even sticky. See, Valdemar?_ Had she been there for pleasure, she would have plunked down at a table with a pint and engaged someone who caught her eye in conversation; however, she was on a mission. Instead, she made a beeline for the counter and climbed onto a barstool. A man with tired but kind eyes looked up from the spot on the countertop he'd been wiping. His stubble and untucked shirt reminded her of a town uncle, making her feel even more comfortable.

"Can I get you anything, miss?" he asked with a gravelly voice. She grinned. _Yep, definitely an uncle._ She hadn't intended on actually ordering a drink, but she figured she'd earned it after the day's events.

"Yes, a beer, please," she replied and reached for the pouch at her hip for some coins.

He filled up a stein from the tap and slid it over to her, swiping up her payment. "Thanks, miss. Where'd you come in from?"

She started to tell him she'd come from the capital but stopped herself when she remembered Nasmira's warning. "Vesuvia," she said.

"Vesuvia? You're a long way from home, aren't you?" She nodded, and he smiled before looking away to polish a glass.

It was now or never. "What should I call you?"

"You can just call me 'uncle.' Everyone does."

 _Knew it._ "Alright, uncle. This guy come into your bar recently?" Gemini slid her sketch of Fugue across the counter and took a pull from her drink. He leaned over and examined it briefly before quietly shaking his head. "That's alright. What about Daum? Have you heard anything about them being out around here?"

He frowned. _Uh-oh._ "What did you say your business was here?"

"I didn't," she replied, hoping her poker face stuck. "That's alright if you don't know anything." Despite herself, she couldn't help but sigh a little into her beer.

His shoulders relaxed and his expression softened. "You could get yourself hurt like that, miss, asking around about those folks. They're a dangerous bunch."

"I've already gotten myself hurt," she mumbled.

He snorted, though he was grinning. "Well, looks like you gave them what for if you're sitting here now." That teased a smile out of her. "Truthfully no, I haven't seen hide nor hair of them around here for a while, a while being years. What are you doing looking for them in Sadhir?"

"I'm looking for this man, and I have it on good authority that Daum and acacias will lead me to him." Absentmindedly, she trailed a finger around the rim of her glass. "Well, at least I thought I did. I've struck out everywhere I've asked about him. If this continues, I might go into a fugue myself…"

A funny look crossed his face, and he cocked his head as his hands halted their cleaning. "You say 'acacia'?'"

"Yeah. What about it? This place is surrounded by it."

The glass clinked as he set it down and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Wait, wait, wait. Are you talking about acacia, or… you know… Acacia?" The repetition was accompanied by him making a cupping motion in front of his chest.

She squinted. "Huh?"

"Miss, I think you misunderstood your friend's tip. If you're looking into Daum, Acacia would be the lady to talk to." Gemini screwed up her face as it dawned on her what he meant. "Hey now, that's her most defining feature! You'll have to see it to believe it. Anyway, she's a friend of mine from back in the day and she used to be a bounty hunter. She would chase down all manner of criminals, and I'm sure I've heard her mention them once or twice."

Gemini leaned over the counter as soon as he finished. "Where can I find her?"

"She doesn't do that anymore, so now I believe she stays in the capital and maintains a spice shop. Couldn't tell you the name of it, though."

Pure elation spread from her fingertips to her toes as she downed the rest of her beer. _My strategy isn't a bust after all!_ She thanked him and all but ran out of the bar. Her eyes scanned passerby as she looked for her horned companion. They needed to get back to the capital immediately. _We'll hit up downtown, search around for spice shops… oh, but maybe one of the Satrinavas knows of a spice shop owned by an ex-bounty hunter? Then we can head straight for the palace, flag down one of the—_

A pitiful groaning broke her train of thought. She stopped in her tracks, heat flooding her cheeks when it happened again and she realized it was her stomach. Given the fact that she sounded like she'd swallowed a beached whale, she figured Valdemar could wait.

Several minutes later, she was sliding into a cozy booth in a humble restaurant. A steaming plate of curry sat before her, and her mouth watered as she gingerly took in a spoonful. She tossed her spoon down and sank back into her seat, closing her eyes in bliss. _Delicious._ She ate with a happy haze in her mind—she could always count on food to cheer her up. Too soon for her tastes, she was staring at the bottom of her plate with a full belly.

She leaned against the window, not particularly wanting to go find Valdemar. _Stupid demon. What the hell were they thinking, just killing without a thought?_ The food-glow had disappeared, replaced by the urge to stew in her annoyance at them. After she'd had her fill of cursing them in her mind and winning imaginary arguments with them, her thoughts wandered. Had she overreacted earlier? The idea made her frown, but she followed it to its conclusion. _They were intending to kill us anyway after my bright idea to launch a surprise attack. Is it really so bad that they killed one person?_ Truthfully, it wasn't hard to see that they were merely acting in self-defense. Her hesitance to take a life was her own burden to deal with, yet she took that and her stress from the situation out on them. She knew it was wrong, even though it was Valdemar.

Ever since she found out they would be stuck together for a while longer, she had directed the brunt of her frustrations at them. Frustration at herself, frustration at her insecurities, all of it had been channeled into her cold attitude toward them as of late. On top of that, it was all a front to fool herself into thinking she had no interest in them beyond being coworkers. It was a defense mechanism that hurt others to protect herself, and it wasn't even working. She still wanted to talk to them more. She still wanted to spend more time with them. _I doubt they're bothered by anything I do or say, but it still isn't right._ They were how they were, and it was unreasonable to expect them—an ancient being—to ever change. _But god, if they don't make it difficult not to get frustrated with them from time to time._ She sighed. It sucked trying to be a mature adult. Then she wrinkled her nose. _Yeah, but the whole almost-letting-me-get-killed thing is still fucked up._

The wood creaked as someone sat down across from her. To her dismay, it was the person she'd just spent an untold amount of time thinking about. They couldn't read minds—not to her knowledge, at least—but she was still embarrassed as if she'd been caught. The warmth in her chest whenever they looked at her hadn't disappeared, but she had been refusing to acknowledge it. Gemini stared at the salt shaker on the table and sucked in her cheeks. _Just because I'm not as mad at you anymore doesn't mean I'm going to let this happen, though._ She absently rubbed her hand across her chest as Valdemar slid down their mask to reveal a grin, resting their cheek on their hand. _Stop being cute, dammit._

"You eat like a piggy."

_Of fucking course. Where is my clown makeup?_

__

__When her eyes unglazed and she focused her attention on them, they had replaced their mask and were tossing a napkin at her. "Wipe your face, it's filthy."

Narrowing her eyes, she snatched the napkin and swiped around her mouth. "Were you watching me, you creep?"

Their eyes widened. "Creep? I was waiting for you to finish your food and come out!" Gemini snickered at their defensiveness. "But then you just sat there, sauce on your face, staring out of the window with a pitiful expression. Then you kept making more strange expressions and fidgeting around. Don't think so hard, by the way, you'll hurt yourself. Honestly, it was getting so uncomfortable to look at your unsavory appearance, I had to enter and make my presence known." If it weren't for the marvel of them having such a long response to an offhand remark of hers, she might have been offended.

"All those words to say you were watching me. It's okay, Quaestor, I know I'm easy on the eyes." They absolutely started spiraling when she winked at them and stood up. Her laughter drowned out the sound of their sputtering as they rushed to rebuke her insinuation and insist that those kinds of thoughts never crossed their mind, least of all with her. _Yeah, yeah, I'm aware. You just make it so fun to tease you._ "At any rate, where are we staying this evening?" She dropped the idea of trying to return to the capital now that she saw the night sky. Valdemar would scold her if she brought it up, and she wasn't up for hearing that.

They led the way to a quaint inn on the edge of town. It was much smaller than the place they stayed on their first night in Prakra. Gemini liked it that way and figured it would just be all the more cozy when she snuggled into her bed later. "Unfortunately," they began as they opened the door, "there are only two rooms, and one is occupied."

"Sooo we're sharing." _Perfect._ This was the farthest from what she had in mind for her evening. She'd have to sleep with her knife under her pillow in case they got any bright ideas about seeing what was under her skin.

Valdemar sighed heavily. "Are you aware that you sometimes display what you're thinking on your face, plain as day? Perish the thought." They immediately betrayed their words by flashing a threatening look at her. It was gone after a few seconds, replaced by a smarmy grin. _Was… was that their attempt at a joke? I can't tell._ They headed straight for the rooms and took out a key to unlock it. Gemini glanced at the other closed door, but couldn't tell if there was someone inside.

Inside the room, there were matches on the desk that was beside the door; she struck one and lit the nearby candle. The room wasn't very big, but it was good enough. She dumped her bag on the floor and stared them down as she jumped back onto the bed. "This is mine."

"I assumed so. I don't need sleep, as you know."

"That didn't stop you from making me sleep on the floor in the banana boat." They grumbled to themselves as she looked at them pointedly. The plushness of the down sheets made her remember how tired she was and how her body ached. Sleep was already starting to tug at her eyelids—she could fall asleep right there. She dropped onto her back and stared up, about to close her eyes, when she spotted something dark against the stark white of the ceiling.

Her eyes flew open and honed in on the spot. As she looked at it closer, she saw that it had a body and multiple sets of legs. It started moving, and her vision blurred momentarily.

She sat up clumsily and fell off the bed in her haste to move, her breath coming out fast and shallow. Valdemar had been standing in the doorway but she pushed them away. Their exclamation of surprise went unacknowledged; Gemini had one thought and one thought only. _I have to get out. I have to leave. I need to get away._ Anyone standing in her way was shoved similarly as she ran out into the night, only stopping when she tripped and fell. She was sure she had made it a fair distance away from the inn, but the icy dread freezing the blood in her veins wasn't leaving.

Footsteps sped up behind her and she was abruptly yanked up and spun around. "You are making a scene!" Valdemar hissed. "What on earth is the matter with you?" She was openly hyperventilating despite her desire to calm down. The pendant Asra had given her to help in times like this was back in her shop, abandoned in her foolish attempt to keep things that reminded her of him to a minimum.

Between erratic breaths, she was able to force out a response. "Spider…" was all she could gasp.

They looked at her like she had gone mad. Then their lips slowly spread into a smile, seemingly waiting for something. When she merely clutched their arms tighter, they choked out a laugh. "Haha! All these hysterics over an arachnid?" The harsh sound only worsened the ringing in her ears. "Surely you jest. That is too ridiculous to—"

"Quaestor!" she shouted. The tears spilling over her cheeks wiped the smile off their face. "It's not funny!" She shoved them away, sank back down to her knees, and cradled her head in her hands, elbows digging into the ground. "Just leave me alone."

The ringing started to ebb away in the ensuing silence, and she focused on her breathing. "Magician." She wrapped her arms around herself. "Magician, come back to the room."

"No. I am not going back as long as it's still in there."

"But you are much larger than it is."

"Don't you think I know that?! Fuck off!" It was bad enough that she was having a public meltdown; now Valdemar was making fun of her. Sobs wracked her body at the thought of having to return while the spider was still in there. Panic welled up within her again. It was quiet for a few moments more before she heard them walk away, and she was left alone with her thoughts.

Her elbows started throbbing, and she looked down and saw she was bleeding through the bandages Valdemar had put on her. They'd noticed her skinned elbows sometime after they'd resumed their trek to Sadhir and promptly plunked her down on a log so they could tend to them. An ointment she didn't recognize was slicked over the wounds and they'd carefully wrapped the bandages tight enough to stay but not be uncomfortable. They were just doing their job. It didn't mean they cared. They even left her on the street after mocking her for something she couldn't control.

She didn't care that she was out in the open and moved to lie down on her back. Where would she sleep? Returning to the inn wasn't an option, and she doubted anyone would help her after her episode. She wished Asra was there. He would know what to say. Behind closed eyelids, she could see pools of violet looking down at her patiently, the calm to her storm. His warmth as he held her tightly and told her that it would be okay, he would make sure she never saw one in the house again. His hand rubbing soothing circles into her back as her breathing slowed and her heart stopped racing.

When she exhaled deeply, she became aware that the hand on her back was real. She opened her eyes and found that she had curled onto her side at some point, hugging her knees. Slowly, she looked up to see Valdemar kneeling over her. There was no malintent hidden in their ruby eyes, and the coldness of their glove seeped through her shirt.

Wordlessly, Valdemar held out their other hand to her. Gemini wiped her wet face and grabbed their wrist, stumbling a little when they pulled her up. They let go and put their hands behind their back, walking briskly back toward the inn. "I removed the… it." When they realized she wasn't following, they looked back to see her standing there. Her hands clutched at her throat as she focused on trying to dispel the feeling that she wasn't getting enough air. With her newly bloody arms and distraught countenance, she was certain she looked a mess. "Oh, look at you," they said quietly, an odd expression coming over their face. "It's the truth, it is gone now." People gawked as the two had a staredown, Gemini unsure if she really wanted to believe them. She had to admit, she was pretty hurt by their actions earlier. But no matter how long she stared at them, they didn't move. They merely stood there, waiting.

Finally, she heaved a shaky sigh. "If I find out otherwise, I will slay you where you stand," she said.

"It's a deal." They turned and walked away, and Gemini tentatively trailed after. She scanned the room cautiously upon their return, not finding anything amiss. When she turned to meet their gaze, their eyes moved down to her arms. The silent command was received, and she sat at the edge of the bed while they dug around in their trunk. Neither said anything as she stuck out her elbows for them to redress her wounds. After the fresh bandages were applied, they peered at her for a moment before moving to return their things.

"I did not mean to make it worse," they said. Gemini leaned back onto the bed and waited for more. Surprisingly, there was more. "I genuinely have never seen a severe reaction like that appear out of thin air. I was mostly curious, not trying to poke fun at you."

 _I figure that's as close to a "sorry" as I'm gonna get. We'll call it even for my blowup. And the fact that they watched me get beat up._ "It's fine."

As soon as the words left her mouth, they whirled back around, finger on their chin as they approached. She sank further into the bed, alarmed. "Have you always been that afraid of sp… those?"

"You can say the word, you know. And now is not the time, I'll tell you later." _I will not._

"I see. Yes, I am very interested in learning more about your condition." They straightened. "I will leave you to prepare for bed."

 _Thank god._ True to their word, they respectfully left the room as Gemini changed into her sleepwear and crawled under the comforter. Her eyelids were heavy by the time they returned and sat at the desk. She chuckled a little to herself; the desk was clearly made for a smaller person. Valdemar almost had to hunch over it. Sleep overtook her as she listened to the sounds of them scribbling in their notebook.


	8. Chapter 8

"Wake up." Gemini shot up in the bed. It was still dark out, the light from the candle flickering on the walls. Valdemar was shaking her awake, much to her confusion. She had only just closed her eyes. Or at least it felt that way. They were sitting on the bed at her side. She blinked at them blearily and slid a hand under her pillow to reach for her knife.

"What's going on?" she asked, voice hoarse from sleep.

Valdemar looked down at her hidden hand then slowly back up at her. "Please do not be alarmed and let me explain." They sat up straight and continued. "I went out for a walk around thirty minutes ago. I left a warding spell on the door to prevent anyone untoward from entering and locked the door for good measure, but I found all of that removed upon my return."

She stiffened. "Removed?"

"'Undone' might be a better way to phrase it. At any rate, someone entered in my absence and put a hex on you."

Her head pounded as she took in the new revelation. _Someone snuck in here and put a hex on me. Someone snuck in here_ while I was sleeping _and put a hex on me._ The way her heart rammed against her chest was almost painful. _Was it Daum?_ She didn't feel any different, but she doubted Valdemar would lie about something like this. They spoke again, and she tried to temper her panic before they noticed.

"It is quite a nasty one, too," they were saying. "For now, I wanted to wake you before I removed it so you knew I was not trying to hurt you." She had become numb, lying back down when they directed her to. "Lie still." They spoke with a gentleness she had never heard from them before; it didn't completely put her at ease, but it did help. A strange light emitted from their palms after a brief pause. They placed their hands flat on her arms, starting from the wrist, and slowly slid them up with light pressure. The light left a trail resembling small purple flames where they touched her, the only sensation being a light tingling; when she looked back up at Valdemar, their face was set in concentration. They continued up over her shoulders and the sides of her neck, causing heat to rise within her. Eventually, they slid their fingers into her hair to cradle her head, thumbs hovering over her face. "This might hurt a bit." She only had a second to brace herself when they lowered their thumbs onto her cheeks and her entire face heat up, burning as though she'd been set ablaze. Her lips pursed as she grunted in pain, and she scrunched her legs up as the feeling intensified. Valdemar murmured something to her, but it didn't register over the searing sensation.

When they released her, the fire subsided at once; she gasped and relaxed her whole body. The tension left her hands and she released the sheets she'd twisted into her hands at some point. She lifted her arms to see the flames were gone as well. "Do you know what the hex was?" she asked quietly.

Valdemar stood. "I know little. However, I can see that if we left it much longer, it would have—very painfully—started to drain your magic from your body. Side effects are unknown, but it wouldn't be very good for your chances of survival."

Gemini felt sick to her stomach. Had she been alone, she could have ended up dead. For a moment, the lingering mixed feelings about traveling with them were forgotten, leaving only gratitude in their wake. _They've saved my life twice now._ "Thank you, I… don't know what to say."

"Thanks are unnecessary. It is what I'm here for." They stopped in their advance toward the door and slowly faced her again. "There is more."

"More?" She tensed again. _What now?_

"Do you recall when I told you the only other room here was occupied?" She nodded. "It is now empty."

 _So that other person is the prime suspect then. Who else would leave in the middle of the night?_ She rubbed at her arms, trying to get rid of her chills. Valdemar moved to leave the room, and Gemini scrambled out of bed to follow. "Where are you going?"

"I should investigate the room for clues."

"I'll come with you." She didn't want to admit it, but she was scared to be left alone. The spider incident and the ambush had already frayed her nerves, and now she felt vulnerable knowing that someone was able to attack her in her sleep. Altogether it was overwhelming, and she needed the comfort of another person in that moment.

They frowned. "You should rest. I am sure you are exhausted."

Swallowing, she said, "Do you think it's wise for us to be apart right now?" She hated the weakness in her voice when she spoke.

Valdemar smiled a little. "I will be right next door, magician. In the highly unlikely event something should happen, I am right here." _But it's not "right here" if there is a wall between us._ She merely bit her lip and looked away to avoid betraying her stubbornness. They turned around to face her fully, steepling their fingers. "I will put a stronger spell on the door if that will make you feel better."

Gemini sat back on the bed and pulled her knees up to her chest. After a moment, she retrieved her knife and folded her arms with the blade-wielding hand on top, resting her chin on her forearm. "Fine," she muttered. The sleep was completely gone and her whole body was alert.

"Magician," they said. They waited until her eyes slid over to them. "I admit I was careless in leaving you alone as you slept, but I will not make that mistake again. The hex was likely just a warning, as grotesque as it was. We should both be on our guard."

With that they left the room, closing the door and turning the lock behind them. Alone with her thoughts, Gemini reflected on how exposed she felt. Every shadow was suspicious, every creak could signal her impending doom. _I have never in my life felt so paranoid._ Her nails dug into her palm with how tightly she gripped the knife as she took slow, deep breaths. _This is only a setback. Tomorrow, it's business as usual. I can't break down now._ By the time Valdemar returned, the tremors in her body had stopped.

Instead of entering, they stood in the doorway. "Bring your sketch with you and follow me." It took a moment for her to register that they were referring to the sketch of Fugue. She quickly retrieved it and padded out front where Valdemar was speaking with the innkeeper. At their prompting, she placed the sketch on the desk in front of him. The man examined it for all of two seconds before saying, "That's the one."

Valdemar thanked him and looked at Gemini. "I did not find anything left behind in the other room, and I examined it thoroughly. Not even a strand of hair." They nodded toward the innkeeper. "However, we have now confirmed that Fugue was here as the other guest that stayed in that room. He was likely the one who attacked you."

She crossed her arms over her head and stared down at the ground, a flurry of emotions running through her. Fugue was there! She'd found him! Even though he was long gone, they were still on the right track. The other matter of importance was that Fugue had attacked her. _Why?_ She couldn't make sense of it. _It would be one thing if he attacked us both since we're technically pursuing him. But to wait until Valdemar left to specifically attack me?_ Perhaps he was just trying to avoid an all-out battle and it was easier to get to her while she slept. _Maybe I'm thinking about this too much._ She sighed. Whatever the reason, she was still unnerved.

They returned to their room. Valdemar strode over to the desk and began packing away their things. "Where are you going?" Gemini asked as she got back into bed.

"Since the other room is free now, I am going to stay there."

 _What? No!_ "Do you have to?" Her voice sounded small even to her.

Valdemar stopped what they were doing and faced her. "I do not _have_ to, but why not…?" They trailed off as they studied her face, expression softening a little. "Ah." Gemini was thankful they didn't make her say it aloud; she wasn't sure if her maturity or her pride would win that battle.

They removed their notebook again and sat at the desk, sighing. "Did my writing bother you earlier?"

"No." She sank back into the pillows with relief, and nothing further was said between them. Valdemar, back curved over the too-small desk, took up their notetaking and Gemini went back to sleep. Well, she tried. Her racing thoughts and anxiety from earlier had stayed. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. _I just want to go to fucking sleep. This day has been a complete terror! Don't I deserve a break?_ Tossing and turning did not help, but toss and turn she did. She bit the inside of her cheek when it became clear that her only hope at peace that night would be Valdemar.

"Hey," she called softly.

Valdemar didn't look up. "Yes?"

"Do you have any sedatives or tranquilizers?"

"I do."

The scratching of pen on paper continued before she spoke again. "Could you give me some?"

Their pen stopped moving. They straightened and turned around, their forehead creased. "Why?"

"I can't sleep."

The tone they used was disapproving. "Magician, I don't think that's—"

"Valdemar." Gemini squeezed her eyes shut, kicking herself when wetness trickled down her cheek before she could catch it. "You are well aware of the day I've had. We were ambushed by a terrorist group because of me, a terrorist group is trying to kill us because of me. I fucked up my elbows fighting a guy from said terrorist group. I almost _died_ , no thanks to you. Arrived in the village and did the same shit that got us in trouble in the first place because fuck it. I was triggered into a panic attack. And, to top it all off, not only has my quarry slipped through my fingers, he crept in here and put a curse on me that would have killed me." Valdemar didn't look away the entire time she ticked off every way she had failed that day. "Today has been an onslaught of all my weaknesses being thrust under a spotlight, and all I want right now is to go the fuck to sleep. But my mind won't shut off for even one second so I can at least try to get a grip. _Please_ help me sleep."

She made sure she wouldn't burst into tears before she opened her eyes again. When she did, Valdemar wordlessly closed their notebook and knelt by their trunk. They took out a glass bottle and a syringe. "Come here by the light," they said. She sat at the desk when they gestured for her to do so and watched them fill the syringe.

"Put your arm on the desk and make a fist." Gemini did as she was told and they stood over her. They removed the bandages around her elbow and prodded at the bend to find a vein. Once they did, they straightened and flicked the syringe. "Let's not make this a habit, shall we? I do not want to return and be accused of enabling you should you become some narcotics abuser."

Gemini rolled her eyes. "These are special circumstances. Just do it."

They moved closer, and she tilted her head back and clamped her eyes shut. "It will only pinch a bit."

"I don't like needles," she admitted. "I can't watch."

"Really? Needles make you squeamish? Or do you fear blood coming out?"

"I don't really know, I just know it freaks me out." They laughed under their breath, but she caught it. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. The puny human has yet another irrational fear, go on."

"That is not what I was thinking about."

"Then what were you thinking about?"

"The fact that you have not realized that I am already done."

Her eyes flew open and they were leaning on the desk with one hand, the other hand holding the empty syringe. They laughed again when she looked disbelievingly between them and her arm. When she got sick a couple years ago and had to get an injection, the doctors had a hard time getting her to stop fidgeting long enough for them to administer some drugs. She remembered her whole body had seized up once the needle went inside her and how she cringed in pain. Begrudgingly, she settled her eyes on them as they put her bandages back.

"Looks like you're pretty good at your job."

"Of course I am. I'm the head doctor for a reason. Now hurry back to bed, I am not keen on carrying you there."

Once she was back in the bed, she lay there trying to see if she felt any different. Noticing nothing, she returned her attention to them. They'd just finished putting their equipment away when they saw her staring.

"Valdemar." It felt nice to say without the title. She patted the sheets beside her.

They paused at first but did move to sit next to her warily. "What happened to 'Quaestor?'"

"The same thing that happened to 'Sibyl' and 'Gemini.'"

"…Fair enough. It should take effect soon, it won't be long now."

"Good. I'm sleepy." They stared at the wall, and Gemini used the opportunity to admire the shadows cast on their face by the candlelight.

"You say you do not like needles," they said after a moment. When she confirmed, they reached over to trace the outside of one of her pierced ears meaningfully. They definitely noticed the shivers the action sparked in her, and she hoped that wasn't what they were smiling about.

"I don't know if the needle thing is new or not," she said as she swatted their hand away. "Maybe the old me didn't mind it."

"Hm."

Her eyelids were starting to get heavy. Before she could think of anything else to say, she fell asleep under Valdemar's watchful gaze.

#

She woke up feeling as though she'd been run over by a horse. Not only did she ache all over, but she was also embarrassed by her actions the previous night. No one besides Asra had ever seen her like that. To add to the pathetic situation, she'd practically begged Valdemar not to leave her side and made them sit next to her until she slept. In her mind, there was no explanation for it besides the drugs. _I would like to die, please_. Gemini sank further into the bathtub to soak up a few more moments in the warm water. Valdemar, for their part, said nothing about it, which she was beyond thankful for. _I just need to keep going._

Earlier, she had shared the tip she got from the bartender with Valdemar. They weren't pleased about having come to Sadhir for nothing but said they would prepare to leave while she bathed. Gemini finished washing up—she squeezed the remaining water from her hair and rose to towel off and get dressed. Her freshly washed clothes smelled of lemon from the soap the innkeeper had lent her. A quick inspection in the mirror revealed that her wounds were still open and would require redressing. Valdemar had shown her how to do it and given her a roll of bandages, so she set about applying the ointment and wrapping herself up. She had quite a bit of trouble with it, however. _Turns out this is harder to do with one hand. Ugh._ She had one end of the bandage in her teeth while she tried winding the other end around her arm when a water bubble sprang from the bathwater.

 _Oops, forgot to let it out._ With a sigh, she gave up trying and went over to the tub, resigning herself to just asking Valdemar to do it for her. The water stirred again, this time with sustained bubbling. Gemini jerked back and fell to the floor, alarm bells ringing in her mind. Water slowly spouted up like a fountain, growing higher and higher until it started to change shape. Color bled through, first maroon then a multitude of colors around the middle. By the time the form solidified into a humanoid shape, Gemini's heart rate began to calm as she recognized the figure.

"Asra?" she asked incredulously.

"Hi, Gemini!" Asra's laugh was dazzling as he looked around. "Are you in the bathroom? Oh no, did I interrupt…?"

She was conflicted about seeing him, but she mostly felt happy—for now. "Lucky for me, I was already dressed. Maybe don't do this so early in the day?"

"Forgive me. I'm used to you being a night-bather." He sank back down into the tub and leaned against the rim, cheeks smushed as he rested his face in his hands. The urge to reach out and crush him in a hug was overwhelming, but her hands would only touch water if she tried. "How are you? I miss you."

She grinned. "It's only been a few days, though?"

"I still miss you! I was only here for a short while before you left, remember? And you didn't answer my question; how are you?"

 _Should I tell him?_ In truth, she was not doing very well at all, and she longed to share it with him just so she could have someone to talk to. However, she didn't want to worry him any more than he already was. His cheerful demeanor didn't fool her; she knew he was worried sick that she was out adventuring without him. Adding details that she was traveling with Valdemar, whom he despised, and dealing with the looming threat of a dark magic-wielding gang would send him to the infirmary.

"I'm doing fine. The investigation is pretty slow going, but I'm picking up clues here and there." She carefully positioned herself so that her exposed elbows were hidden from view. "Mostly boring stuff."

Asra looked like he knew she wasn't telling the truth, and his expression was pained for a moment. "I'm sure you've realized by now, but you left your charm pendant behind," he said. "Should I bring it to you?"

 _Nope, nope._ "No, I'm—I'll be okay."

"Are you sure?"

She dropped her gaze guiltily, debating on whether she should say it or not. Her yearning won out and she replied, "It helps if I imagine you're here."

Asra moved as if to come closer before remembering what he was doing. As he sat back, the very expression Gemini was trying to avoid showed itself on his face. "Oh, Gemini… I'm sorry I couldn't be there for you."

"It's not your fault. My dumb ass is the one who forgot the pendant." She had almost said "left," but quickly caught herself. "I need to learn how to cope with it, anyway. You won't always be there, and I should be a functional adult by now."

"Hold that thought, Gemini." He suddenly turned away, looking back at something. "What? I'm talking to Gemini." She rolled her eyes as hard as she could and fell backward onto the floor. _Great. He's there._ "Well, I did, so there. No, Ilya, I'm talking to her. Don't come—"

"Gemini?!" Julian's surprised face appeared next to Asra's as he crouched down next to him. "Whoa! It's really you! Hey, are we in a bathtub?"

 _Grin and bear it._ Gemini sat back up and forced a smile onto her face. "Hey, Julian! How's it going back there? You taking care of Asra for me?"

Julian gave her a wide grin. "It's positively boring without you. Asra has been moping—"

"No I haven't!" Asra's voice was panicked as he tried unsuccessfully to shove him away. "Don't listen to him. You know how he is."

"Oh? And how am I?" The two began to bicker back and forth over what Asra meant and why couldn't Julian talk to Gemini too. _Am I really listening to this? Is this hell?_ The last thing she wanted to do was listen to a lover's quarrel between them of all people.

She almost wished Asra was a little more perceptive. He was supposed to know her better than she knew herself, yet he hadn't picked up on her discomfort whenever Julian was around, least of all her feelings for him. As Julian began tickling Asra, she focused on picking at a scabbed over scratch on her thigh she didn't know the origin of. _Not like I'm one to talk. He'd apparently been in love with me since… well, forever. Granted, I was trying to relearn life for the past few years. But what were we like before?_ Asra had told her nothing happened between them, but she didn't know if she believed that. Or rather, she hoped he was lying. If at least the previous her had experienced the love she wanted so badly, she could take solace in that. That was part of what drove her to research memory manipulation. Aside from her family and other unanswered questions about her past, she wanted to know for sure the true nature of her and Asra's relationship.

The little voice inside her head told her it was a foolish endeavor. _What would it matter to know that now? That door is closed for good._ Her logical side told her to listen, that she's only hurting herself by continuing to dwell on it. She needed to move on.

"Gemini?" She looked up at Asra's worried face, Julian nowhere in sight. "Sorry about that, I told him to leave us alone. Where did you go?"

Gemini shrugged. "Where do I always go? You know I tend to disappear into my thoughts."

"What were you thinking about?"

"It's a secret. I can't tell you everything, can I?" She gave him a mischievous grin, and he relented.

"You're right. You know I'm nosy when it comes to you." Asra hung his hands over the side of the tub, water collecting where his fingertips brushed the floor. "I'm sure you have a busy day ahead, so I won't keep you any longer. Though I wish we could talk more."

"We'll talk soon. Once I get back."

Asra bobbed his head, curls bouncing. He extended a hand toward her, and she felt her heart begin to crack. She knew the answer, but she asked anyway. "What are you doing, silly goose?" He grinned and merely waggled his fingers at her, thrusting his hand forward insistently. "You know we can't touch each other like this."

"But we can pretend." Gemini's breath caught in her throat, but she nevertheless reached a hesitant hand toward his. She could almost laugh at how his words made her feel when he only meant them lightheartedly. Platonically. Their hands stopped short of touching, for they would only pass through each other if they moved even a little closer. "Spread your fingers apart," he said with a laugh. She did what he asked and he carefully slated his fingers through hers, curling them over so it appeared they were holding hands. Gemini shook her head and kept her fingers straightened.

"Weirdo." It was meant as a jab, but the fondness in her voice took the bite away.

Asra chuckled. "C'mon, hold me back!" She refused, but he didn't move his hand away. He looked up at her, pride shining in his eyes, and leaned his head down against the arm resting on the tub. "You're amazing. I can't wait to hear all about your travels when you return. I love you and miss you."

Gemini hugged her knees to her chest with her other arm and ducked to hide her face behind it. She managed to pull it off with a playfulness, but its true intent was to muffle the pain in her voice when she replied. "I love you so, so much. Miss you too." It was worth it when Asra's face lit up in response.

With a little wave goodbye from him, the water fell back into the tub and he was gone. She stood quietly and dried her newly wet hand, trying to stave off the urge to cry. It was just like him to pop in and out of her life at random, rocking the rhythm she'd set for herself in the process. The past week had been good, all things considered, as far as feeling sorry for herself about Asra went. She feared that this would set back what little progress she made, and it annoyed her how much seeing him both elated and frustrated her. _He has so much power over me and he doesn't even know._ She unplugged the drain; as she watched the water swirl away, she imagined the heaviness in her chest going with it. _I don't have time for this._ Once it was gone, she gathered her things and exited the room with the determination to act normally on her mind.

When she emerged from their room with the last of her things, Valdemar stood and lifted their trunk. At the sight of her bare elbows and sheepish face, they rolled their eyes and set about helping her wrap them. Once they were done and putting their things away, they said, "You were in there for a while."

She ignored them and grabbed a handful of the complimentary cashews from the bowl on the front desk. "Let's go," she said, breezing past.

Though they followed her, they cocked their head and studied her intently. Gemini acted like they weren't there. Finally, they asked, "What's wrong?" Involuntarily, she laughed out loud. _Valdemar has known me for all of five seconds and can suddenly read me like a book. Asra is clueless, and my life is a comedy._ They sped up to walk at her side and looked down at her curiously. "Did I say something funny?"

 _You're too sharp for your own good._ "You did. What do you mean what's wrong, do I look upset?" For added effect, she beamed up at them.

It didn't work. "Yes."

"Then ignore it." She winked and slapped them on the back.

They frowned. "Why do you keep hitting me? And where are you going? This is the wrong way."

Without missing a beat, she spun on her heel and marched back the way they came. Valdemar snickered and pulled out the map.

#

They arrived back in the capital city just as the sun began to set. Both of them agreed that it would be wasteful to return to the palace only to come back into town, so Gemini grabbed some street food for dinner as they walked around looking for the spice shop. This time, she was quick to find the information she sought—it was easy work finding someone who recognized Acacia's name and knew where they could find her. The stranger pointed them toward a shop on the corner of a street that overlooked a cliff, where the Star Lakes glittered just beyond. It was bigger than Gemini's own shop, and if she was honest with herself, she was eager to peruse Acacia's wares. _Not like that. The spices. For potions._ The bar uncle's words about the ex-bounty hunter's rather buxom appearance came to mind, bringing a flame to Gemini's cheeks.

A bell tinkled as the two of them stepped inside. The air was rich with the scent of various spices, though cardamom was the prevailing fragrance. Rows upon rows of shelves were jam-packed with an assortment of different colored jars. Some labels she recognized, others were written in foreign lettering; a translation was hastily scrawled underneath on those. Valdemar hovered by the door while Gemini walked around contemplating making a purchase.

"We're closed now, loves," a bubbly voice drawled. Gemini turned her head to find the source and had to keep herself from staring. The first thing she noticed was orange. _Lots_ of orange. The woman's hair color popped under the ambient lighting, curling around freckled shoulders and framing a round but sweet face. She was disappointed in the uncle. _He so lied. I think the hair would be worth mentioning as a "defining feature." Although…_ He certainly wasn't wrong about the lady's chest. She'd never seen breasts that large—her own back ached just looking at her.

As she approached, Gemini had to crane her neck to maintain eye contact since Acacia towered over her. It was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore how attractive she was, but Gemini was a professional first. "Acacia?" she said.

Acacia crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "Depends on who's asking."

"I am."

"Who's you?" _Tough one, she is._

She stuck out her hand. "Sibyl Gemini. My companion is Quaestor Valdemar."

Acacia ignored the hand and peered over Gemini's head to stare at Valdemar with open suspicion. "Why are they skulking around like they just stole from out the cookie jar?"

Sighing heavily, Gemini turned around to see Valdemar leaned up against a corner. They matched Acacia's intense gaze as they said, "I do not like cookies. I have stolen nothing."

She turned back to Acacia's befuddled expression. Acacia looked between her and Valdemar for a moment before she smiled down at her strangely. _I know they're weird, and I'm sorry._ At last, Acacia took Gemini's offered hand though instead of shaking it, she kissed her knuckles and tugged her further into the shop. "Come," she purred. Gemini wasn't sure if she tripped from the force of being pulled or the unexpected flirtation.

They passed through a beaded curtain and entered a small kitchen that held a tea table with two chairs. Acacia dropped into one of them and gestured for Gemini to take the other. "I don't got any tea, sorry. Wasn't expecting a guest today." She glanced behind Gemini quickly. "Guests, I guess. Sorry again love, no more chairs. You understand, right? Ladies should have the seats."

Gemini didn't have to look to know that Valdemar was highly irritated at being in this woman's presence, but she was intrigued. "So you're Acacia, the bounty hunter."

She huffed. " _Ex-_ bounty hunter. And no one calls me that anymore."

"Apologies. Everyone I spoke to knew of you as Acacia, no one corrected me."

"Yeah, no one calls me that to my face because they know better. That's one reason why I know you're foreigners, the other being that Prakra don't got any sibyls or quaestors." She leaned back and crossed her legs. "Whaddya want?"

Gemini rested her arms on the table, careful to mind her elbows. "A friend in Sadhir told me you might have some helpful information about Daum."

Fiery eyebrows shot up. "Ahh, he gave me up? Crazy bastard, I'll have to scold him." _Scold him…? But you literally just admitted everyone knows who you are?_ "Anyways, yeah, I've tangoed with them a couple times. Even brought in a few members for a pretty chunk of change. What're you into that you're looking for them, darlin'?"

She resisted the urge to match Acacia's energy. _God, I wish I wasn't working right now._ "My target's mixed up with them, and I need to track him down. Seems like getting closer to them gets me closer to him, so anything you could share about your dealings with the group would be helpful."

Acacia snorted. "What's in it for me?" The way she adjusted her arms drew Gemini's attention back to her chest, but she successfully avoided dropping her gaze.

Reaching down to her hip, Gemini unhooked her money pouch and threw it onto the table. "Will this do?" She could afford to part with it, Nasrin would see her off with more.

"Nicely." The pouch was snatched up with a quickness. "They're a bunch of fake bogeymen that think they're tough. I'll give it to 'em, they're a slippery bunch. But once you split them off from the pack, they're just babies playing at being big boys. They'll get on their knees real quick." She paused to cackle, and Gemini nervously raised an eyebrow. How powerful was this woman if she thought encountering them was small potatoes?

"So you hunted them?"

"Sometimes, yeah. If one of their squads was stupid enough to linger in my territory long enough to get a price on their heads for disturbing the peace."

"How did you find them? Don't they operate from the shadows?"

"Hmm, you don't know about it, Sibyl?" Acacia bit her tongue playfully and clapped with glee. "Aw, do I get to teach a baby magician something cool?"

"You're a magician too?"

She nodded proudly. "Yup yup. Now see, the annoying thing about those guys is they change their hideouts every so often. I mean, I get it, what they do is highly illegal, but it made my job more difficult. But we magicians have access to something good, and that's the Nexus Tree." When Gemini looked at her quizzically, she gave her a pitying look. "What, your master never told you about it?" Then she squinted and leaned forward. "Hey, you sure you're a magician?" Gemini held out a hand toward her. Acacia took it, her grasp firm and confident. Almost immediately, she yelped and yanked her hand away—Gemini smirked and withdrew her electrically charged hand. Acacia giggled. "You little shit. Alright. Anyways, you familiar with the arcana?"

"Intimately." _I am one._

"Well, you know about the realms then, yeah?" Gemini nodded. "The Nexus is in the Star's realm. This tree supposedly connects all the strands of time together in its roots or something like that. I didn't pay much attention honestly until I randomly remembered it years later. I would visit this tree and sync up my magic with it to see where my targets were slinking off to every night. Then, bam! I hop over there to give them a morning surprise."

 _A magical tree that lets you sift through time and see whatever you want?_ It sounded incredible; in fact, it sounded too good to be true. She'd never heard of any such tree, and she'd met all kinds of magic users over the past couple of years. Skeptically, she asked, "This is a real thing that exists? And it's just sitting in the Star's realm?"

"Any magician worth their salt knows about it." Acacia sneered and twirled her hair around a finger. "Though I'll give it to you, it is a little hush-hush for obvious reasons. I just figured someone of your stature would be in the loop, _Sibyl_." Gemini's eye twitched, but she couldn't blame her for being suspicious. Her magical background was a complicated mess thanks to her amnesia. "Fact check me later. For now, that's your answer, darlin'. I reckon you can skip the middleman and just go for your target if you can get to the Nexus."

"How can I find it?"

"Hmm. Well, that's the limit of my knowledge just about. It was originally shown to me by someone else, then I just kind of knew how to get there. Couldn't really give you directions if I tried." Her eyes suddenly lit up. "Though I can say you will definitely know this tree is big shit when you see it. It's located underground in a cave nestled within a marsh. Find that marshy area in the Star's realm, then it's nothing to find a giant rock jutting out of the ground and crawl into the hole."

"I see." Gemini turned in her chair to look back at Valdemar and gauge their reaction. They had been staring off to the side, but at her movement, they turned their head to give her a look that begged her to get them out of there. She took pity on them and figured that what she found was useful enough if it was legit. Indeed, if she could skip over chasing Daum around and hoping to find something—instead going directly to wherever Fugue was or would be—it would be monumental. She could bring him in and hopefully avoid a larger showdown with the group. Returning her attention to Acacia, she asked, "Any other information about Daum you think would be useful?"

Acacia thought for a moment before shrugging. "Nope, not off the top of my head. I'm sure I could give you some pointers about how to fight them, but that would be an entire class at that point, and I'm sure you have better things to do."

"If only I didn't." _It would be reaaally great if I could have even a little of what makes you talk about them like they're a gang of schoolboys and not a dangerous bunch of terrorists._ "All the same, thank you very much. This was a great help." She stood, and Acacia followed suit.

"Uh-huh. Make sure you fact check me. I could be lying, y'know?" She winked before giving Gemini's shoulder a playful shove, her touch lingering. "I'll walk you out." Valdemar wasted no time making tracks to the front of the shop, and Gemini couldn't hold back a small chuckle. She was sure such a boisterous personality as Acacia's was taxing on them. Valdemar went outside and held the door open as Gemini faced her.

"I'll call on you again if I have any additional questions."

Acacia trailed her eyes down Gemini's frame, making a show of adjusting her dress in a way that called attention to her exposed cleavage. "Please do. I don't mind if you come again when the shop is closed, I'll open up for you." Her eyes shifted to the side and she burst into laughter. Gemini glanced to see Valdemar's disgust apparent in their eyes.

She joined in her laughter and ducked her head shyly. "I'll keep that in mind. Be seeing you." Acacia hummed, and Gemini led the way back down the street.

Valdemar didn't even wait until they were out of earshot. "No more of your magical riddles. The clues are terrible."

They still had a grimace on their face, making Gemini guffaw. "I only did it the one time, and we figured it out eventually!" she protested. "And fix your face! You can't go glaring at everyone we meet!"

They were aghast. "What a silly woman she was! Shamelessly making cow eyes at you when we were there on business, I just couldn't contain myself."

"Well do better moving forward, please." She was already thinking of her next move. Everyone had probably retired for the evening, but she would consult with the palace magicians in the morning and see if they knew anything about this Nexus Tree. If it was the real deal, it was everything. Luckily, she'd visited the Star's realm a couple times, so she should be able to navigate her way there.

Deciding she wasn't quite done teasing them, she said, "Valdemar, you can be honest with me."

Their expression had finally evened out. "Whatever about?"

"The fact that you're jealous." She watched with glee as they got worked up all over again, reeling back from her and drifting closer to the street-side of the sidewalk.

" _Jealous!?_ Me? Of whom? You? Her?!" They launched into a long explanation of how they would never, ever in her lifetime experience such a ridiculous emotion and the offensiveness of the notion that they would. Her cackling was interrupted by shouting in the distance, and she looked around for whom it came from. Valdemar continued on none the wiser, but Gemini noticed that a man was standing further up the street next to a broken cart, and a mule was running around wildly… barreling straight towards them. Towards Valdemar, in particular.

Without thinking, she took a wide step forward and grabbed them by the waist, pulling them away just in time for the animal to bound past without a collision. They stood there for a moment, looking after it in shock as the man helplessly jogged behind it. Eventually, Gemini remembered herself and noticed that Valdemar was staring down at her, bug-eyed with hands awkwardly on her shoulders. _We're really close._

At that thought, she hastily let them go and stepped back. She straightened her shirt and apologized profusely. "Sorry sorry, I just didn't want you to get trampled! Are you okay?"

With eyes still wide, they nodded mutely. _Okay, I broke them._

"Right. Let's see if we can find a carriage back to the palace." _I'm gonna awkwardly remember this when I'm trying to go to sleep tonight, aren't I?_


	9. Chapter 9

After dinner, Gemini was finishing a report for the queen when one of the court magicians entered the dining area. "Sibyl?" he called, and she looked up. "I am told you asked after Aurora and me?" Upon their return, Gemini had notified a servant that she needed to meet with Banks and Aurora to ask about the Arcana realms. She had assumed they would meet the following afternoon, but this worked as well.

"Yes," she said. "Is Aurora joining us?"

Banks shook his head. "She is feeling unwell. Please, let us go somewhere more comfortable." He led her to one of the salons and gestured for her to sit, providing light in the room with a flick of his wrist. She chose a particularly luxurious-looking sofa and flopped onto it. _Oops._ Remembering professionalism, she sat up straight. "So, what can I help you with? The note mentioned little."

Gemini explained what Acacia had told them about the Nexus Tree in The Star's realm. "I've never heard of such a place—do you know anything about it?"

"Yes, but I only heard of it during my studies as a magister." He crossed his arms, deep in thought. "The story goes that The Star longed for a tree so tall, she could climb atop it and see all the realms. One day, she was walking along a stream and discovered a strange seed along with a note; it said, 'Plant this below the earth, and oversee the fate of the realms and all their inhabitants.' Legend says it was from The World, but who knows." A teacup materialized and floated into his waiting hand. He took an appreciative sip and offered Gemini some as well but she declined. "She did as the note said, carving out a cave that led underground and watering the seed with the water jug she keeps at her side. Almost immediately, a tree imbued with spiritual energy unknown even to the Arcana shot up from the ground, blooming into full maturity at a great height. It is this tree that is commonly referred to as the Nexus. All the strands of time that interweave throughout all the realms, including our very own, are joined together at this tree. The Star watches over us and ensures that the delicate flow of time remains undisturbed."

 _What a story!_ Gemini made a note to ask Banks for more Arcana lore another time. "So it's true, then? Can it be used by magicians?"

Banks wrinkled his brow. "I'm not certain. There isn't any rule prohibiting it, but I am sure harnessing its power is no easy task. Why do you ask?" Gemini's plan didn't appear to ease his worries—in fact, he looked even more concerned once she filled him in. "Goodness… are you certain there is no other way? We can't be sure how exactly this works, and I don't know that I'd trust the word of such a suspicious character."

Gemini had thought about that, but what reason could Acacia have to lie? If she was allied with Daum, she wouldn't have even told her about the tree in the first place. Additionally, it was her best bet to end the chase swiftly. The information was dubious, but it was her most direction she'd had yet. "I understand your concerns—believe me, I had my doubts as well. But I may as well try. Especially if my magic is as strong as people say it is; I'm confident I'll be okay."

"That is true," he conceded. _Well, I was kind of bullshitting but I'm glad he thinks so highly of me._ "You do have a very powerful energy. I just hope it isn't stressed too much by interacting with the Nexus." He sighed. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"My colleague and I will go in. Can you watch over our bodies while we do?" Palace security was impeccable, but she didn't want to take the risk. She was still rattled from the back-to-back ambushes they'd suffered. Banks was understanding and agreed, offering his time that very evening.

"If it will help bring this to an end, I would be happy to oblige." They made plans to meet in a secured room. Banks would make the arrangements and send for them in a bit, and they parted ways. Gemini took out her report and jotted down the updates from their discussion and handed it off to a passing servant so they could deliver it. When she made her way back to the guest wing, instead of entering her own room she knocked on Valdemar's door.

Valdemar appeared in the doorway, greeting her with their usual blank expression. _Oh good, it looks like they've gotten over earlier._ She stepped inside and told them about the plan for that night. Valdemar looked at her quizzically as they sat at their desk. "Who is 'we?' Am I to go with you?"

Gemini took a seat on the floor. "Yeah? Why wouldn't you?"

"I am not a magician, this sort of thing is beyond me. I also have no interest in interacting with The Star." They grimaced and picked up the book they were presumably reading when she stopped by.

"But it's better to have backup in case something happens. That _is_ what you're here for, no?"

"I suppose. I will not fight you on it." After a pause, they glanced over at her. "Do you intend to remain here until Banks is ready for us?"

She nodded. "I figured it made more sense for both of us to be in one place. Does my being here bother you?"

"I do not care enough to be bothered. Do as you wish." They continued to flip through their book, and Gemini stretched out with her head propped up on one hand. She didn't know how much time passed until a servant knocked on the door with the message that Banks was ready for them.

They arrived at a door flanked on either side by a palace guard; with a curt nod, one of them opened it. Banks was inside staring at the fireplace before he turned to greet them. "Welcome, Sibyl," he said. "Quaestor Valdemar. The guards will protect the door, and I have also prepared the room with several charms. We shouldn't have any outside interference."

"Perfect," said Gemini. She sank down onto the plush rug by the fire while Banks sat on the couch. While she regularly spent time in her gate, it had been some time since she'd visited the Arcana realms. Nerves unexpectedly stole her breath as she started to get cold feet worrying about it. It would have been one thing had she been going alone, but she'd never taken someone with her before. _A fine time for all my self-doubt to rear its ugly head. So annoying..._ She hoped for Valdemar's sake that nothing went wrong.

Speaking of them, they hadn't moved from their spot by the door since they entered. Banks looked at them. "Is something the matter?" he asked.

"I was waiting for someone to provide some explanation of what is expected of me. This was not a part of my original evening plans." Gemini ignored the pointed look they gave her and let her wrists dangle over her bent knees as she sat cross-legged.

"Sit across from me," she said with a neutral tone. To her relief, they obeyed without complaint. Valdemar took a moment to arrange themselves in a matching position with their long lab coat getting in the way. Once they were done, they were a few feet away from her.

She tried to suppress a grin. "You're gonna need to come closer than that." To emphasize, she held out her hands toward them.

They huffed and awkwardly unfolded themselves so they could waddle closer to her on their knees. "Close enough?"

"Our knees should touch. We're going to be in this position for a while, so we should avoid having to stretch too much." She wiggled her fingers. "We gotta hold hands."

Grumbling, Valdemar inched closer until they were finally able to cross their legs with their knees just barely brushing Gemini's. It always felt a little odd to touch them—she would be expecting heat radiating from the contact, but their temperature was always remarkably unremarkable. Neither hot nor cold.

When she took their hands in hers, they were limp. Gemini sighed. "Valdemar."

"Yes?" _Don't try to look innocent._

"C'mon. The sooner you cooperate, the sooner you can get back to your 'plans' this evening." They wrinkled their nose at the implied quotation but nevertheless adjusted to hold her hands in a wooden grasp. "Now close your eyes, and don't open them until I tell you to." Their eyelids fluttered shut obediently, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Closing her own eyes, she began to focus on transporting them. The crackling of the fire faded away, as did its warmth. She could sense the ebbing of the room's light, and she pictured her gate. Valdemar's fingers twitched against hers, and she hesitated. Asra's words about being careful whom she let into her gate echoed in her mind. _Do I really want Valdemar of all people to have that kind of access to me?_ A magician's gate was very personal, and she wasn't sure if she trusted them enough for that. Who knows what they would do if they found out they could return unattended, uninvited?

"Magician? What's going on?" Their voice interrupted her thoughts, and she quickly shifted her attention back to the task at hand. Her gate took precedence in her mind once again, and her senses began to fade completely. She was weightless, anchored only by the familiarity of her destination and Valdemar's tightening grip on her hands. When a gentle, soundless breeze rippled through her hair, she opened her eyes. The air was wet where it grazed her legs as she looked around. Deep purples, blues, and greens colored the sky, a cool backdrop to the various stars, planets, and other cosmic matter sprinkled throughout. She never tired of visiting this place.

She took a deep, calming breath, the smell of raindrops providing comfort. "Open your eyes," she said finally. She let go of their hands as they did and gathered her legs beneath her. Valdemar's gaze was curious as they took in the dreamlike atmosphere. A comet streaked across the sky in the distance, and she watched them follow it with their eyes. Before them was a looming, orange planet—it seemed to have caught Valdemar's attention, for they began to stand and walk toward it. They paused, however, looking down at the vaporous mass under their feet. With eyes wide, they stared over at her.

"We're on a cloud," they said somewhat breathlessly.

Gemini laughed and fell backward, arms splayed out on either side. "We're on a cloud!" she agreed. She'd never seen Valdemar display such childlike wonder; they were always cold, studying their surroundings with an unsettling stare. It was refreshing.

"What is this place?" They resumed surveying their new environment, turning circles slowly as they did. Gemini sat back up and rested her chin on her hands, unaware of her lingering smile.

"We're at a gate."

Their eyes settled on her again. "What kind of gate is this? This… this is…"

"A magic one, one that lets you travel between realms." She chewed the inside of her lip before continuing. "It's my gate."

"Amazing." She could have sworn there was something akin to admiration sparkling in their eye when they rapidly approached her. "I have many questions. What do you mean, it's 'your gate?' Did you build this place? Why, we're surrounded by what appears to be celestial bodies. Why is that? How did—why are you laughing?"

She couldn't help herself. _They're just so cute._ "No reason. C'mon, let's go." They followed her once she rose and started walking, but didn't give up their queries.

"I demand you answer my questions at once. How did this place come to be?"

Gemini shrugged. "I don't know… it just _is._ I can't explain it very well since I'm not sure myself, but everyone has a gate. You just have to be in tune with your magic to get to it." They were coming up on the edge of the cloud they were walking on. The feathery mist disappeared into the starry abyss; that was their objective. She held out her arm to Valdemar. They blinked at her and cocked their head. "Link arms with me."

"Why would I do that?"

She made a face. "So you don't get lost once we jump. But if you'd like to wander in the realms forever, then be my guest."

Immediately, they had concerns. "Jump? Jump where? Why are we jumping?" They finally noticed they were running out of "ground" and stopped walking abruptly. "Magician…"

Their apprehension was highly amusing to her. She turned around and smirked at them. "What? Is the good doctor _scared_?"

Sputtering, they rushed up to her and looped one arm through hers. "Don't be preposterous, of course not! Let us proceed if we must."

"Great, because we must." Mischief shone in her eyes when she looked up at them; they definitely caught it, for the worry on their face only grew. Valdemar only had a split second to react before Gemini took off running toward the edge, tugging them along as they shouted in surprise. Their cries of "Magician!" were muted by the sound of her laughter. The two quickly reached the edge—Gemini leaped, and Valdemar's voice went the highest she'd ever heard it as they positively shrieked at the top of their lungs. Their arm clamped down around her own when, instead of falling, the two began to float upward. They had stopped screaming, but their eyes had comically widened in fear. Gemini found it hilarious that Valdemar—someone who routinely had threatened her and was always cool, calm, and collected—was now clinging onto her for dear life with both hands. Her sides cramped from how hard she was laughing. "It's okay, it'll be over soon!" She tried to make them feel better, but they gave no indication that they'd heard her.

Soon enough, the feeling of floating upward was replaced by gravity pulling them down, but they hadn't changed direction. Gemini was used to this since she had traveled this way many times, but she was starting to feel a little bad for Valdemar. Only a little. They were turning pale and managed to squeak out, "I think I'm going to be ill." _Oh god, please don't vomit._

"Hey, hey, hey," she said with thinly veiled anxiety. She tried to adjust so they could face each other as they fell, but Valdemar wasn't giving her any room to move with how tightly they held onto her. With enough struggling, she did manage to get in front of them and grab both of their arms. "Hey, look at me." They did as she asked, their gaze fearful. Gemini let out a chuckle with her next words, more out of amazement at how truly afraid they were than in a mocking manner. "You're okay. I've got you." Valdemar didn't look any more soothed, but they tightened their grip. "When we enter The Star's realm, we'll float down to the ground and land fine. Close your eyes if it helps." No sooner had the words left her mouth than they screwed their eyes shut. Gemini glanced below them and saw a soft light coming up to meet them. _We're there._

The warmth of The Star washed over her with a gentle touch; it was a familiar sensation. She let her own eyes fall closed, feeling peace as the realm's energy nudged at her own magic. Only when she felt a force pulling at her arms did she reopen her eyes to see Valdemar's terror-filled gaze again. She didn't get the chance to ask what was wrong before they were ripped apart.

"Valdemar!" Gemini yelled for them as they flew away, their screams echoing as the wind picked up and rippled through her hair and clothes. She, too, was yanked backward by some unknown force, and she began to panic. This had never happened before. _What the hell is going on?!_

She plummeted to the ground and landed roughly on her back. The wind was knocked out of her, so she lay there for a moment to catch her breath. Once she sat up, she realized she was in a wheat field. It wasn't anywhere she had been before, but that was expected; each time one visited The Star's realm, the scenery would be different. The knowledge on how to get where she was going would just innately lie within her, but this time she had no idea where to go.

"Valdemar?" The rustling of the wheat was her only response. Gemini stood and looked around, seeing nothing and no one for miles around. Dread rose up within her. _Something isn't right. Could Daum or Fugue have interfered somehow? Is something amiss with The Star? Where did Valdemar go?_ She was concerned for herself, but couldn't imagine what Valdemar must have felt, considering how afraid they were just moments ago. Guilt for how she'd laughed at them flooded through her, but she really didn't think anything would go wrong. How could she have? It was supposed to be a normal visit, yet trouble had struck in a matter of seconds. This was just the latest in a series of her failures.

Gemini wanted to cry, but she couldn't let herself get stuck in her own thoughts. Even still, she wasn't sure what she should do. _If I look for them, will I even find them? It doesn't even look like they're here._ She decided she should try to reach the lighthouse The Star dwelled in—she would know how to help.

She took a step forward and immediately got the sense that she wasn't alone. Her body tensed and all the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Quickly, she spun around, hands poised to attack if she needed to defend herself.

Nothing. Just more wheat. _Did I imagine it…?_ Uneasy, she told herself to stop being paranoid and resumed her trek forward. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a flash of maroon. Pivoting in that direction, she could see the tails of a multicolored coat disappearing into some tallgrass just ahead.

"Asra?!" She'd know that coat anywhere. But what was he doing there? _Whatever's going on, maybe he can help me find Valdemar._ With that, she gave chase and ran into the tallgrass as well. A few moments later, she was no closer to Asra as far as she could tell; she was about to give up when she heard rustling and spotted the coat just in front of her again. "Asra!" she shouted, but he didn't stop. Hoping to slow him down, she reached out and grabbed onto the coat.

Rather than holding him back, she found herself yanked along after him. The ground rushed up to meet her as she tripped over her own feet. She made a noise of surprise, still holding onto the coat, but Asra didn't stop. Her skin burned due to how fast she was being dragged on the ground. _Why the hell isn't he stopping?!_ Even more curious, it didn't seem like her added weight had slowed him down at all—in fact, they were moving faster than she thought humanly possible. _What if that's not actually Asra?_

Gemini tried to look up and see who she was holding onto, but the grass got in the way—all she could make out was legs and a torso, and the outfit and height definitely made her think it was Asra. However, whoever this was didn't act anything like him by ignoring her like this. She tried to call his name again but got a mouthful of grass. Her body was starting to hurt from being pulled along, but she _needed_ Asra right then. And if it wasn't him, she would find out who was trying to trick her and why. Despite the ache in her fingers, she gripped the fabric of the coat tightly and thought about what she could do to get this person to stop moving. She thought and thought, but her search for a solution came up empty.

A chilling thought popped in her head suddenly: she had to let go. There was no telling where this person was going, and she wasn't sure how long she could hold on anyway. Even still, though she didn't know for sure if it was her friend or not, she wanted to take that chance. Everything had gone horribly wrong, just like everything else in the past week, and she needed to accept that she couldn't do it alone anymore. She'd thought she could, but the answer was obvious. So if there was even a chance that this was Asra, she couldn't give up.

Her resolve to hang on was solidified, but the niggling feeling that this was the wrong choice persisted. In all honesty, she was mainly scared of letting go and being alone again with no idea how to move forward. However, she could no longer ignore the cuts and scrapes she was probably giving herself by continuing. She was only trying to convince herself that it was Asra because he was her security blanket, and she didn't feel safe or at ease at that moment. She _needed_ him—no, his comfort and reassurance. However, it was undeniably some trick; he wasn't there.

Whether she decided to finally listen to reason or her hands simply couldn't hold on anymore, she released her grip on the coat. Gemini tumbled for a bit before she eventually came to a stop lying face down. She took a moment to catch her breath before she looked over in the direction the person must have gone—what she saw took her breath away. The grass had thinned out, so she had a full view of them, except… there was nobody there. There was a _body_ —the clothes were filled out as if there was—but there was no skin, no limbs, no face, no nothing. It was like an invisible person was wearing Asra's clothes. As if that wasn't enough, the being continued running, at inhuman speed, straight off a cliff. Gemini scrambled to her feet and followed, skidding to a halt just before the plunge. Asra's clothes fluttered down into the abyss, no longer occupied by an unseen entity.

She didn't know what to say. "Ha, what the fuck…" Except that. She stared over the edge of the cliff listlessly until the clothes couldn't be seen anymore, then started to go back. Her legs felt numb, but she got the feeling she shouldn't linger there too long. The invisible Asra had unnerved her, and she didn't want to stick around for any part two.

As soon as she turned around, the scenery had changed. Gone was the tallgrass she'd just been dragged through, replaced with a massive door with strange carvings on it. She whipped back around to see if the cliff was still there and, sure enough, it was also gone. She was still outside, as far as she could tell, but surrounded by sky-high stone walls. The only thing of note was the door; no sign of Valdemar, or anyone else. When she looked down at herself, she didn't have any of the injuries she ought to. Her mind struggled to make sense of everything, and she pinched the bridge of her nose trying to think. Then it became clear.

 _I'm in a trial._ She'd made the correct choice earlier when she let go of "Asra," and now she was faced with another difficult situation—how to get out of there. _The Star only does this when you have something to learn… she's trying to tell me something._ She could guess what the one she'd just completed was about, but she'd think about that later. A nugget of familiarity tickled at the edges of her memory as she studied the door, and she tried to remember if she'd seen it before.

"Ah," she said, snapping her fingers. A drawing of this door had been scrawled into one of her magic texts, embedded in a chapter about the practice of ancient magicks. She strode up to the door and gently laid a palm on it; old, profound energy thrummed beneath her fingers. _If I remember right, the door has to be magically charged before it will open._ With a frown, she crossed her arms and stepped back as she stared harder at it. _…And if I'm still remembering right, the amount of magical energy required is significant. Only the most powerful of magical shamans could open this door by themselves. Great._ There was no one around but her. She was as good as stuck—no matter how much her magic had improved in the last year, this was too big of an ask.

Her knees gave out underneath the overwhelming sense of defeat. Gemini had reached her limits, literally. _What am I supposed to do here? What is The Star trying to tell me?_ As much as they raced, her thoughts didn't reach any satisfying conclusions. She just couldn't make sense of anything. _…I don't want to think anymore._

So she didn't.

#

It felt like she'd been there for hours, and yet the sky hadn't changed at all. Cloudless and gray, it matched Gemini's mood.

Blank. Nothing.

As she lay there, she had gathered the energy to try to think of a way out a couple times. She'd wracked her brain for all of the spells she knew, checked her person for any boosters that could supplement her magic, but every time she'd arrived at the same answer. The text was clear, she knew how much magic was required. There just wasn't enough in her to open the door. Through no fault of her own, she was incapable. It was a shortcoming of hers, but it was a shortcoming she could accept. She only hated that she would be stuck here until… well, she didn't know when. The Star was being helpful with her trials, but she would not give you the answers—they were yours alone to overcome. Gemini would remain right where she was until she opened that door.

Frustrated, she sat up and glared at it. _Why would she put such an impossible task before me? Does she even know what this thing is?_ She picked up a nearby pebble and threw it; it bounced harmlessly off the cool stone. Another idea took root in her mind—it was a stupid idea, but it was an idea nonetheless.

 _I'll show her. Maybe she just doesn't know?_ If The Star was mistaken, she'd just have to prove it. She stood and approached the door once more. It loomed over her dauntingly. _I'll give it everything I have, even if it kills me. What else do I have to lose? Maybe once she sees me about to expire after overdoing it, she'll end all this._ She closed her eyes and took a shaky breath, placing both palms flat against the door. The latent magic vibrating within made her nervous, but she was curious to see what would happen if she tried. Four symbols were carved into the stone; to open the door, it had to be charged such that all of them lit up. _If I can get even half of them lit, I'll call that a win._ She began to channel her energy into the door. Although she was feeling down, it wasn't like her to not at least _try._ Once she did and failed, then she'd let herself mope.

The air crackled with electricity while she focused on coaxing her magic out as far as she could. Slowly, she passed her usual stopping point. Sweat beaded on her skin, but she kept on. Only once before had she tried to push her limits, some months ago during a practice session with Asra before he left. She'd nearly scorched their entire surroundings by accident; at the time, he'd warned her to never go that far again because she wasn't able to control it yet. The _power_ she'd felt then… she was wielding it again. It made her shiver, knowing what had happened last time. She comforted herself with the fact that no one else was around. _It's okay. You can do this._ She didn't _really_ believe that, but she'd been told affirmations could help and she hoped they would pull through now. Soon, even more energy surged through her than ever before. She had now surpassed all previous thresholds she'd set for herself and was scared to be in unknown territory.

And yet, she pressed on. _Don't even think about stopping until it hurts._ Minutes ticked on and on, and her power swelled—still no pain. Sure, her body strained with tension, but that was to be expected since she wasn't used to handling so much magical energy at once. She had to concentrate a little harder on remaining present and grounded herself by flexing her fingers and feeling the roughness of the stone beneath them. If she wasn't careful, she'd lose her mind, nevermind fatally harming her body by overextending her magic. Still, she was a bit surprised that she didn't feel she'd reached her true limit yet. _How long can I…?_

_STOP!_

Her eyes flew open and she groaned when it hurt to see. It was hazy at first, but her vision cleared and she could see that it was noticeably darker outside, and her hair whipped around in every direction violently. A loud crack of thunder prompted her to tilt her head back to see the most intense of storms raging through the sky. Lightning streaked through dark clouds rapidly, and the wind howled and shrieked in a way she'd never heard before. Awestruck, she slowly returned her gaze to the door in front of her. To her shock, all four symbols were aglow with energy. _Her_ energy. _Did… Am I doing all this?_ It didn't make any sense, and she searched for a more logical explanation but found none. This really was her own doing. Is it possible that she was capable of this? Of _more_ than this?

The thought excited her, but the tremors of the door stopped her musings. Cracks had started to appear within the stone—she was breaking it. _"_ Oh," she breathed. _I need to stop._ The problem was that she wasn't sure how. She had stopped drawing on her power, but she was afraid of what would happen when she took her hands off the door. It was entirely possible she'd conjured more magic than necessary. _I really should stop my habit of closing my eyes when I'm casting..._

Cringing, she gingerly peeled her hands away and hoped for the best. When she was no longer touching it but wasn't airborne, she hopped back with caution. The door shuddered before beginning to creak open. The ground quaked with the action, and Gemini breathed a sigh of relief. Forget the amazing feat she'd just pulled off, she was happy she wasn't incinerated or exploded.

A blinding light flowed through once the door was completely open. She couldn't see what lied beyond, but there was a warmth that called out to her and put her mind at ease. Still in disbelief, she took halting steps through the door and into the light. As she walked, she exhaled heavily. _I hope that's the last of it. I really should find Valdemar._

Almost as soon as her thoughts began to wander toward them, a splitting headache sprouted at the base of her skull. Within seconds, her entire head was throbbing, and she doubled over from the intensity. She hadn't felt pain like that in a while; it was similar to the headaches she got whenever she would remember her past life. _This can't be. I've been able to remember some things without having an episode for the past year. Why now…?_

Her thoughts were interrupted when she realized something was off. She rubbed her temples and opened her eyes to see that she was back in the shop, long hair hanging in her face. _Wait, long hair?_ Gemini tried to speak, but no words came out; in fact, she wasn't in control of her body at all. She wanted to look around, but instead, she sighed and leaned her hand on her chin. _What's wrong with me? Why can't I…?_

Feet padded down the creaky steps, and she turned to look at the newcomer. It was Asra, although with a rounder face and shorter hair. He was wearing an outfit she'd never seen before, and the more she looked, the more obvious the situation became. _This is a memory._ Asra, looking much younger than she was used to, beamed at her as he approached.

"Morning!" he greeted.

Past-Gemini snorted softly before reaching out to ruffle his hair. "Try 'good afternoon,' sleepyhead," she said. Trapped inside her previous self, she was frozen; the voice was her own, but it had an accent she didn't recognize. She tried not to think about it too much and paid attention as the scene unfolded. Asra was now sporting a worried expression.

"Are you having another headache?"

"Nah." Past-Gemini shrugged nonchalantly, a deflection tactic today's Gemini was familiar with.

However, Asra was not fooled and crossed his arms. _Seems like some things don't change._ "I think we're out of herbs for your medicine. I'll run out and get more." He walked away to grab his cloak from the coathook, and Past-Gemini trailed behind pleading him not to, saying it was unnecessary. Asra merely waved her off and pressed a lingering kiss to her cheek. "I'll be back before you know it!"

"Wait, at least put some shoes on—aaand he's gone." Sighing again, Past-Gemini slumped into a nearby chair and stared into the fireplace.

_He's so good to me, I don't deserve him._

_Whoaaa, what the hell?_ That thought didn't originate from her. It seemed that she could hear Past-Gemini's thoughts as well. _Can she hear me too? Helloooo?_ She got no response, so Gemini guessed the effect was one-sided. It did feel like home, stretching out in her favorite chair and heating up by the fire. When Past-Gemini closed her eyes, she tried to be present with her and imagine that she really was back in Vesuvia, hanging out with Asra and not a care in the world.

In being more in tune with Past-Gemini's senses, she noticed a pang in her chest that she knew all too well.

_He's so lovely. What would it be like if we were together…?_

If Gemini were corporeal, she'd be holding her breath. _Pining for him even back then. So we really didn't have anything, huh?_ She wasn't sure if the revelation made her feel better or worse.

_No, it won't do any good to think like that. Not when I can't stop thinking about ______. It's not fair to either of them._

Gemini was confused; she'd heard the name Past-Gemini thought of, but just like that, it was gone. The image of a woman flashed in her mind, but she couldn't make out any of her features. Whoever she was, it seemed she wasn't ready to remember this mysterious woman who'd caused her heartbreak. It didn't matter; that wasn't anything she was terribly interested in at the moment.

 _Am I strange if I feel for Asra what I felt for her? Am I someone who falls in love so fast after suffering such rejection? This is so stupid…_ I'm _stupid._

Her nostrils flared, a telltale sign that tears weren't far behind. Past-Gemini sunk deeper into the chair, eyes fixed on the ceiling but not really seeing.

_It doesn't matter, anyway. Asra's a loving, affectionate person to everybody. He doesn't feel anything special for me. I should just forget it and focus on myself._

The door to the shop burst open, Asra standing in the doorway with an easy smile on his face. "You're back," Past-Gemini said in disbelief.

"Told you I'd be back before you knew it!" He laughed triumphantly as he nudged the door closed with his foot and walked over to where she sat. Past-Gemini shook her head and smiled as he knelt in front of her. It broke Gemini's heart to see the way he stared up at her, openly lovesick. _Doesn't she see this? It's so obvious._ It was a strange feeling to be jealous of herself, but she couldn't help it. Envy turned to frustration, which gave way to sadness when she realized even the present version of herself must have missed it too. To a point, it wasn't really her fault since the concept of romantic love was foreign to her for quite a while, and it seemed far-fetched to believe her "master" would look at her like that. _How many times did I ignore this or explain it away? If only I'd realized sooner…_

A wave of pain pulsed through her temples. She grunted and clutched her head in her hands, waiting until the sensation subsided. Once her eyes were closed, her body felt weightless—she seemed to float through space for several minutes until her sense of equilibrium told her she was lying horizontally. The headache began to fade and she slowly opened one eye.

Valdemar's face took up most of her field of vision. They looked annoyed, or maybe that was concern? Either way, they exhaled gently through their nose once both of her eyes were open and moved away. Gemini sat up quickly, the motion making her dizzy.

"You okay?" she asked. When they nodded, all of the tension left her body and she fell back onto her elbows. Looking around, she noticed they were in a grassy field, all types of shrubbery and plants surrounding them and a calm stream running through. After a few moments, her heart rate picked back up. _Is this…?_

"You will tell me what happened immediately," Valdemar was saying. "To begin with, it was most unpleasant of you to drag me into a freefall from some mystic cloud without explaining anything to me, and then we're ripped apart and I landed disastrously in this field by myself. I'll add that I did not "float," nor was it "fine." Regardless, this appears to be the marsh that simple woman told us about, and I had little trouble locating the cave. However, it was imperative that I give you a piece of my mind, so I began to roam all around looking for your negligent existence, only to trip ungracefully over your comatose body. And _then_ —"

"Valdemar, shut up."

Valdemar's jaw dropped, and they sneered down at her. "How very dare you! I have been—"

"Shh!" Gemini got to her feet and looked around for the cave. They'd reached their destination, and her only concern was getting what they came for as soon as possible and leaving. Parsing through the trials The Star had just put her through would require effort she couldn't spare until she was alone and in bed that night. "Let's go. Take me to the cave."

Their mouth snapped shut, and they even looked sheepish. That gave her pause. _Are they_ embarrassed? _I didn't know they were capable._ She took great interest in this new expression of theirs as they also stood and adjusted their lab coat. When they caught her staring, they arranged their face back into neutrality and looked away. "Yes, let us be done with this place."

She wanted to tease them but decided they'd had enough of that for the day. Valdemar led the way over the stream and into an area with denser vegetation. After a few minutes of ducking under branches and hopping over logs, they at last arrived at a cave. It was too dark inside to see much. Valdemar turned to her expectantly and she summoned an orb of light in front of her as she took point.

The air inside the cave was damp, and an earthy scent overwhelmed her nose. Moss covered the walls, but it didn't completely obscure the glyphs shining underneath. Water was running somewhere nearby; as they continued ahead, she eventually saw small waterfalls beginning to line the walls. The path grew narrower as the walls started to come closer together, and it became uncomfortably tight for a short while. Soon enough, the path widened out again, and stone steps descended downward in front of them. Gemini turned back to make sure she hadn't lost Valdemar before heading down.

Behind her, Valdemar breathed in deeply and sighed contentedly. "This reminds me of the dungeons at the palace."

She snorted. "Are you kidding? This is much nicer than that creepy place." It wasn't a jab—the cave, despite being dark and a little intimidating, did give off a warm energy. She figured it was The Star's influence.

"You say creepy, I say home."

"Creeps have creepy homes."

Valdemar huffed sharply. "I am not—"

Gemini waited for a beat, but they didn't say anything more. She was starting to get worried until she heard them sniff a couple times. "Oh," they murmured.

"What?" As soon as she said that, she picked up a new scent as well. It was a foreboding smell, not to mention unwelcome. Out of place. Ominous.

Without thinking, she dashed forward, the light barely able to keep up with her. Valdemar was yelling for her to slow down, but they couldn't be heard over the adrenaline pounding in her ears. She finally reached the end of the stairs, nearly tripping over herself when she saw the wall in front of her bathed in flickering orange. Once she rounded the corner, her legs turned to jelly. She had no words as she collapsed in a heap on the ground, staring up at the magnificent sight before her.

It was the largest tree she'd ever seen in her life. The white trunk was aglow with mysterious magical energy, probably enough to light the massive cavern all on its own. The leaves shone brilliantly, and pulsating strands of light fanned across the ceiling wherever they touched it. This was the Nexus Tree.

Even more breathtaking was the most violent fire Gemini had ever seen in her life. Leaves were falling, turning to ash before they even hit the ground. Black dotted the once pure bark of the tree as it began to char. The smoke was getting thick enough to make her eyes water. It was the most awful sound—the cracking and snapping of branches as they separated from the base, the roar of the blaze as it hungrily consumed what was once a magical marvel.

"Oh dear," Valdemar said from behind her. "Is that your tree?" Gemini didn't have any energy to respond; she was simply lost. _I'm back to square one. This was my one big lead, and now I have nothing. Again._

Soon enough, the smoke became too thick for her and she began coughing harshly. Tears also brought on by the soot-filled air streamed down her face as she doubled over. Fear began to set in when she wasn't able to catch her breath. Valdemar had just grabbed her shoulder when it suddenly became easier to breathe again. Gemini drew in ragged breaths, spluttering to get the last of the smoke out of her lungs before she looked up. The Star stood before her, and the air surrounding the three of them was slightly hazy with a faint glow.

"Is that better?" The Star asked gently. She approached where Gemini sat and reached out to paw at her tears. "You've done well to get here. I knew you could do it." Her melodic giggle felt out of place given the situation, and Gemini struggled to find her words.

"The Nexus…" was all she could murmur. A flash of sadness appeared on The Star's face and she nodded.

"Yes. A visitor came by and set it ablaze. It was my fault for not being prepared enough, but you must understand it is no easy task to destroy this tree. It requires significant power."

Gemini's expression darkened. "Was it him?"

The Star adjusted the jug on her hip before nodding again. "It was the one you seek. I suspect he somehow learned of your plans and wanted to ensure you couldn't use it."

"Where is he." It was less of a question and more of a demand. To destroy a sacred item in the Arcana realms was going too far. She would beat his ass once she laid eyes on him.

"You know I can't tell you that. As much as I want to."

Gemini figured as much and slumped over. "The tree," she said again helplessly.

"I know, don't worry about it." _What?!_ Incredulous, she stared up at The Star, who actually laughed jovially. "I am sure you want to help, as you are a wonderful magician who has great concern for the world's affairs. I know it looks bad, but trust me when I say this is fixable." Gemini quirked a skeptical eyebrow. "The World can help and is in the process of doing so now. Meanwhile, you have other things to worry about." She gave Gemini a knowing look, and Gemini's cheeks flushed.

The Star's eyes looked past them as she dipped a paw into her jug. She whipped her hand out suddenly, water droplets spraying everywhere. The water slid across the ground all around them rather than melting into the dry earth. Gemini followed their movements with her eyes and watched as water pooled by the entrance to the cavern, rising and taking shape to form a light blue door. It opened to reveal bright light; when Gemini turned to look at The Star again, she was standing farther away from her and Valdemar.

"Go," said The Star. "You have work to do back in the human world." She waved them forward with her paw as her image started to fade. With that, she was gone.

Valdemar was already halfway to the door when Gemini turned back around. She shook her head but started to follow. A few steps into the light, she heard someone's voice.

" _Wait!_ " the voice shouted at her.

She spun around and searched for a third person, but only saw the receding image of the fiery cavern. "Hello??" she called. _Who…?_

"Find me!" The voice came from the other direction now, but the light had grown so bright she could hardly see. Just barely, she could make out the shape of a man with dark brown skin and aqua hair.

"What?" she shouted. The voice was becoming more difficult to hear—she must already be in the process of returning to the real world. _No! Who is this?!_

Just before her vision was completely consumed by white, she could see a hand outstretched toward hers. She reached out, but couldn't make contact before it disappeared.

"I can help! Find me… find me…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm dead asf lol but once again, thank you for all the love!!

**Author's Note:**

> I plan to update weekly-ish. Thanks for checking out my first attempt at a longfic in years--please let me know what you think!


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